Polish Egyptian Conservation Mission Research Articles

The Shell Motif in the Culture and Architecture of the Ancient Town of Marina el-Alamein in Egypt

At the archaeological site of Marina el-Alamein in Egypt, many monuments and everyday objects feature motifs related to Aphrodite and her cult. One recurring theme is the seashell that lamps are often decorated with. In one case, it accompanies the depiction of the goddess herself. This article collects oil lamps with the image of a scallop shell from the research of the Polish-Egyptian Conservation Mission, as well as already published specimens from earlier archaeological research. It has been noted to date that this motif is one of the most common on lamps found in Marina el-Alamein. Shells also appear on architectural elements – in the finials of niches with a religious purpose, located in the main reception halls of houses. In such aediculae they are well exposed, but the use of shells does not arise from the shape of the architectural framing. Therefore, other reasons, possibly symbolic ones, for including this motif in decoration should be considered.

Research and architectural conservation in Marina el-Alamein in 2018 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission)

Activities undertaken by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein in 2018 comprised research and conservation mainly in the public district of the ancient town and, additionally, in private houses. Work focused foremost on research and presentation of remains of two streets, running east and south of the southeastern corner of the main town square, and the adjoining monuments. Research and conservation continued also on the remains of public Roman baths dating from the 1st to the 3rd century AD, located in the area south of the square. Maintenance conservation was carried out in Houses H21c and H1 and in the ancient town center. Land grading to enhance exhibition value and ensure rainwater drainage was carried out in some areas.

Conservation of a commemmorative monument to the Emperor Commodus in House H21c in Marina el-Alamein

Current maintenance conservation work by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission in Marina el-Alamein occasions a revisiting of the history of the archaeological discovery, interpretation and original conservation and anastylosis of a commemorative monument dedicated to the Roman Emperor Marcus Antoninus Commodus. The monument, a rectangular masonry structure with colonnaded front, was built inside a presumed dining or reception hall of building H21c near the harbor of the ancient Graeco-Roman town. The original project took place between 2000 and 2007 (Czerner and Medeksza 2010). Maintenance conservation after a decade created the opportunity for a more in-depth analysis of the dimensions of the monument and the individual architectural elements of which it was composed.

Coins from the site of Marina el-Alamein: an overview of recent and some earlier finds

A recently uncovered assemblage of 13 coins, some of significant dating value, but all loose finds from fieldwork conducted by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission, is discussed in the context of earlier coin finds recorded by the two Polish projects involved in the archaeological excavation and conservation of the Marina el-Alamein site on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The focus is foremost on predominantly Roman provincial coins originating from the Alexandrian mint. One of these bears a mark indicative of its use as a pendant. Hadrian bronzes, most numerous in this group, along with coins of Trajan and Antoninus Pius corroborate a peak in the development of the town in the 2nd century AD, while late Roman imperial specimens are direct evidence for its continued functioning in the late antique period.

Conservation work in Marina el-Alamein in 2018 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission)

The article presents the program and results of continuous monitoring and preservation of historic architectural structures after the winter period at the site of Marina el-Alamein in Egypt, carried out by the Polish-Egyptian Conservation Mission. The program embraced studies of ancient plaster, polychromy and execution techniques employed for producing elements of sculptural and architectural decoration, as well as conservation of archaeological artifacts.

Research and conservation in Marina el-Alamein in 2016 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation mission)

Activities undertaken by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein in 2016 included research and conservation in the public district of the ancient town as well as in private houses. Work focused foremost on research, conservation and exhibition of monuments in the central town square, especially the remains of a peristyle adjacent from the east, and the southern portico of the square itself. Research and conservation continued also in the area north of the central square, concentrating on the remains of public baths dating from the Hellenistic period and, on the south, on the remnants of Roman baths in use from the 2nd to the 3rd century AD. Maintenance conservation was carried out in private houses, in both baths complexes and in the eastern and southern area of the central square.

Research and architectural conservation in Marina el-Alamein in 2017 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission

Activities undertaken by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein in 2017 comprised research and conservation in the public district of the ancient town as well as in private houses. Work focused foremost on research and exhibition of the remains of a street running east of the southeastern corner of the main town square and monuments in the area of the square itself. Research and conservation continued also in the area south of the square, concentrating on the remains of public Roman baths dating from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. Maintenance conservation was carried out in private houses and in the ancient town center

Marina el-Alamein Polish-Egyptian Conservation Mission. Conservation in 2017

The conservation program of the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission in Marina el-Alamein in 2017 included restoration of wall structures and architectural decoration elements damaged as a result of unfavorable climate conditions (Houses H9/H9a and H21, Rooms 10 and 11 in the Roman baths). Wall paintings exposed to weather conditions in situ were treated as part of another conservation project. Minor metal finds were also treated using both chemical and mechanical means in order to identify the objects.

Research and conservation in Marina el-Alamein in 2014 and 2015 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation mission). Part one: The Southern Bath and central town square

Activities undertaken by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein in 2014 and 2015 included research and conservation in the public district of the ancient town as well as in private houses. The emphasis was foremost on research, conservation and exhibition of monuments in the area north of the central town square, especially the remains of public baths dating from the Hellenistic period. Research and conservation continued also in the area south of the central square, concentrating on the remains of Roman baths in use from the 2nd to the 4th century AD. Current maintenance and conservation were carried out in private houses and in the area south of the central square.

Research and conservation in Marina el-Alamein in 2014 and 2015 (Polish–Egyptian Conservation mission). Part two: The Hellenistic Baths

In 2014 and 2015, the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein undertook research, conservation and presentation of the area north of the central square of the ancient town. A major landmark in this part of the city are the public baths from the Hellenistic period, discovered in 1987. The work was focused on the main chambers of the bath: the central tholos with relics of hip-bathtubs, the neighboring room with an immersion bathtub, and a set of rooms in the southern area of the complex.

Selected conservation projects in Marina el-Alamein in the 2014 and 2015 seasons

The 2014 and 2015 conservation program of the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein, a part from current maintenance, covered mainly conservation activities within the central square of the town and in selected rooms of two complexes of public baths: a Hellenistic establishment situated north of the square and a Roman one to the south of it. Conservation of selected items in the storerooms, paintings in particular, was also included.

Research and conservation in Marina el-Alamein in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission

In 2012 and 2013, the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein focused on research and conservation in the public part of the ancient town, the dwelling houses and the necropolis. A site presentation program was continued in the area south of a public square, where remains of Roman public baths, in use from the 2nd to the 4th century, have survived. Current maintenance and conservation was carried out on the site of dwelling houses and, in 2013, on the aboveground mausoleum of tomb T21 in the necropolis. Conservation of mural paintings was undertaken also during the seasons.

Research and conservation in the Roman baths of Marina el-Alamein in the 2012 and 2013 seasons (Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission)

A Roman bath in use from the 2nd to the 4th century AD at the harbor of Marina el-Alamein on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt continued to be researched, conserved and prepared for exhibition by the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission working under the auspices of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw and the Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Technology. The bath and adjacent civic basilica were located in the center of the ancient town, to the south of the ruins of the main square. By updating results of research carried out in previous seasons, the present studies on the caldarium and frigidarium of the bath and a part of the civic basilica have brought us significantly closer to identifying the functional layout of the southern baths. Phases of construction were investigated as well and it is now possible to trace the transformation of the building over time.

Selected conservation work in Marina el-Alamein in the 2012 and 2013 seasons

In the 2012 and 2013 seasons, the conservation program of the Polish–Egyptian Conservation Mission to Marina el-Alamein included conservation activities in selected rooms of the complex of Roman (southern) baths in the central part of the town and, in 2013, elements of the monumental tomb T21, as part of the general program for the preservation of its remains. In 2013, conservation of selected items, wall paintings in particular, from the stores was undertaken.