“Marea”/Philoxenite: A Town and Pilgrimage Station on the Road to the Sanctuary of Saint Menas (Abu Mena). Volume 1
History and Topography
Edited by T. Derda Edited by M. Gwiazda
Philoxenite was a Byzantine foundation established on the southern shore of Lake Mareotis in the sixth century AD. Conceived as a station for pilgrims <i>en route</i> to the sanctuary of St Menas at Abu Mena, it was founded by Flavius Theodorus Philoxenus Soterichus, consul of the East in 525. For nearly two centuries, the town provided accommodation, infrastructure, and services for the expanding movement of Christian pilgrims. <br />This first volume of the new series <i>“Marea”/Philoxenite. A Town and Pilgrimage Station on the Road to the Sanctuary of Saint Menas (Abu Mena)</i> brings together historical, topographical, and environmental perspectives on the site. It opens with an overview of the historical context of pilgrimage in the region and the role of Philoxenite within the wider network centred on Abu Mena. Subsequent chapters examine the town’s founder, the literary sources that mention it, and the transformations of the Mareotis region during the Byzantine and early Islamic periods. <br />The volume then turns to the archaeology of the site itself. It traces the history of exploration since the eighteenth century, proposes a division of the settlement into sectors, and analyses its urban layout. Non-invasive surveys, including extensive geomagnetic prospection, have revealed the structure of the town and its hinterland. Environmental studies provide further insights into local vegetation and climate change. <br />Taken together, these contributions present Philoxenite as a key component of the late antique pilgrimage landscape. The volume demonstrates what the town may have looked like and establishes a foundation for future, more detailed studies of its material culture.
- Edited by T. Derda
- Edited by M. Gwiazda
Other Titles in this Series
Old Dongola: Development, Heritage, Archaeology. Fieldwork in 2018-2019. Vol. 2
Material Studies
Volume 6
The Royal Mortuary Cult Complex in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Part I
The Chapel of Tuthmosis I
Volume 2
Old Dongola: Development, Heritage, Archaeology. Fieldwork in 2018-2019. Vol. 1
Excavations
Volume 1
Similar Books
Ancient wooden statues from Middle Egypt (2205–1630 BC). A comparative study on style, functions and ritual entanglements
Volume 20
Archaeological Excavations at Irmis Rka: An Investigation of a Multi-Layered Settlement in Southwest Georgia
Results from the 2020 Season: Early Bronze Age to Medieval Occupations
Catuvellaunia and Rome: Economic and Political Relations during the Final Decades Pre-conquest
The Role of Grain from Southeastern Britain and Its Potential for Maintenance of the Roman Military along the Frontier on the Rhine
Colour Concept “Secoli bui” a colori
Codici cromatici e architetture dipinte nell’età tardoantica e medievale
Crossing Disciplines in the Study of Archaeology and Prehistoric Art: Insights from the Sahara and Mediterranean Africa
Proceedings of the XX UISPP World Congress (5–9 September 2023, Timișoara, Romania) Volume / Session 18
Crossing Sacred Landscapes
Contacts and Continuities in the Desert Cults and Beliefs of Ancient Northern Arabia and the Arid Southern Levant
Cuneiform Artefacts from Archaeological Contexts: New Research on Ancient Iraq
Proceedings of a Conference Held at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, July 4–5, 2024
Volume 2
ENTANGLED AFRICA
Intra-African Relations Between Rain Forest and Mediterranean from Around 4,000 BCE to 1,500 CE
Exploring Prehistoric Pottery in Japan
A Study of Organic Inclusions, Adhering Materials, and Impressions of Woven Items
From Coast to Coast
Current Archaeological Research on Cultural Exchange along and across the Baltic Sea
Volume 19
Frontiers of the Roman Empire: The Frontier of the Roman Province of Raetia
Grenzen des Römischen Reiches: Die Grenze der Römischen Provinz Raetien
Gold, Silver and Glass: Power Networks, Cultural Identities, Technology Transfers and Agency across the Old World (7th Century BC – 1st Century AD)
Proceedings of a Conference Held at the British Museum, 16–18 June 2023
Harvesting the Margins of the Viking World
Decentralizing Economies in Late Iron Age Fennoscandia
Volume 6
Images of Anonymous Women
A Semiotic Approach to Image-Text Relations in Interpretation of Ancient Near Eastern Art and the Hebrew Bible
Volume 310
Journal of Urban Archaeology 13 (2026)
Featuring a special section, ‘Lost Towns and Cities: Rediscovering Urban Sites through Archival and Legacy Data’
Making and Meaning in the Bronze and Iron Ages
Chronology, Landscapes and Societies across Europe. Proceedings from the METALAGES2024 Colloquium (Florence, 23 October 2024)
Medieval Yeghegis, Armenia
History, Archaeology, Society. Local Multiplicities and Global Connections of a Rural Centre on the Silk Road(s)
Mobility and Archaeogenetics in Central Asia
People – Goods – Ideas. 3rd International Conference on Central Asian Archaeology in Bern, 11th–13th January 2024
Volume 24
Offa’s Dyke Journal: Volume 7 for 2025
A Journal for Linear Monuments, Frontiers and Borderlands Research
