BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Ancient Christian Settlement Discovered in Egypt

Non-invasive techniques recover vibrant Christian community

A team of archaeologists from the University of Warsaw announced the discovery of a previously unknown Christian settlement in Egypt. The site, known as ancient Marea and located about 25 miles southwest of Alexandria, was built in the third century B.C.E., shortly after the conquest of Alexander the Great. The newly discovered portions of the site, however, date to the sixth century C.E., when Marea served as a waystation for Christian pilgrims traveling to Abu Mena, the location of the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, who died in 296 C.E.

---

Interested in modern archaeological technology? Researchers at the UCSD’s Calit2 laboratory released the free BAS eBook Cyber-Archaeology in the Holy Land — The Future of the Past, featuring 21st-century research on GPS, Light Detection and Ranging Laser Scanning, unmanned aerial drones, 3D artifact scans, CAVE visualization environments and much more.

---

Marea was located on the shore of Lake Mariout and was an industrial center and harbor town. Although excavations have taken place since the 1970s, it was only in the last few years that archaeologists were able to reveal the site’s deep history. Marea’s Christian precinct was home to one of the largest Christian basilicas in late antique Egypt and featured remarkably clear and deliberate urban planning. The precinct consists of rows of identical “modular” buildings, each made up of uniformly sized storefronts, residences, and porticos. It also had bathhouses and latrines, a hospital, and even streets intersecting at right angles—an extreme rarity for the period.

The 32-acre Christian precinct was discovered using new, non-invasive archaeological techniques, which were able to study a greater area of the site than traditional excavation allows. It also represents one of the very few residential areas constructed in the later years of the Byzantine empire and the only such settlement that was left unfortified. Only a hundred years after the construction of Christian Marea, however, all of Egypt was conquered by Muslim forces (c. 639–646 C.E.), though Marea survived for another century before its final abandonment in the eighth century.

---

Read more in the Bas Library

Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.

 

The First Peace Treaty Between Israel and Egypt: 3000 year old treaty sealed by marriage of Pharaoh’s daughter to King Solomon. by Abraham Malamat

The recent peace treaty between Egypt and Israel may have a historical precedent from almost 3000 years ago. Then too, these two nations wisely decided that peaceful co-existence was better than military confrontation.

Alexander in the East: Tutored by Aristotle, mentored by Ares, Alexander the Great set no limits upon his ambition. by Frank Holt

Alexander the Great never reached his goal of conquering all the inhabited earth. This was simply beyond his army’s endurance. But he did get as far east as ancient Bactria, in modern Afghanistan. More than two thousand years later, archaeologists have begun to recover evidence of Greek settlers Alexander left behind at a village called Ai Khanoum. Unfortunately, much of what remains in this remote area of war-torn Afghanistan is being looted from the site and plundered from museums. The tale is nonetheless heroic, even if it ends in tragedy.

An Ancient Israelite House in Egypt? by Hershel Shanks

What may be an ancient Israelite house has been discovered at the one-time Egyptian capital of Thebes, dating to about the same time the Israelites were settling in Canaan (Iron Age I; 1200–1000 B.C.E.).

---

Dig deeper into biblical Archaeology with your All-Access Membership

The world of the Bible is knowable. We can learn about the society where the ancient Israelites, and later Jesus and the Apostles, lived through the modern discoveries that provide us clues.

Biblical Archaeology Review is the guide on that fascinating journey. Here is your ticket to join us as we discover more and more about the biblical world and its people.

Each issue of Biblical Archaeology Review features lavishly illustrated and easy-to-understand articles such as:

• Fascinating finds from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament periods

• The latest scholarship by the world's greatest archaeologists and distinguished scholars

• Stunning color photographs, informative maps, and diagrams

• BAR's unique departments such as First Person and Strata

• Reviews of the latest books on biblical archaeology

The BAS Digital Library includes:

• 45+ years of Biblical Archaeology Review

• 20+ years of Bible Review online, providing critical interpretations of biblical texts

• 8 years of Archaeology Odyssey online, exploring the ancient roots of the Western world in a scholarly and entertaining way,

• The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land

• Video lectures from world-renowned experts.

• Full online access to 50+ curated Special Collections,

• Four highly acclaimed books, published in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution: Aspects of Monotheism, Feminist Approaches to the Bible, The Rise of Ancient Israel and The Search for Jesus.

The All-Access membership pass is the way to get to know the Bible through biblical archaeology.