Denise Rempel

Lake Mareotis: A reconsideration of Egyptian maritime history in the Greco-Roman period

Supervisor: Dr. Lucy Blue

Abstract:

It is no mystery that Egypt, and particularly the port of Alexandria exerted great maritime influence in the Greco-Roman period. Also widely accepted is the fact that a myriad of goods from as far afield as the Far East were moved through Egypt and onward, particularly throughout the Roman Empire. What is much less regarded is the role that Lake Mareotis played in ensuring that goods flowed to and from the port of Alexandria and throughout the environs of Egypt. Expanding on the work done by the University of Southampton’s Dr Lucy Blue and the Lake Mareotis Research Project, in addition to work done by others, including Dr Penelope Wilson of the University of Durham, this paper aims to explore questions concerning the physical environment of the lake in antiquity; the types of settlements which surrounded the lake and their functions; and the impact the lake, its settlements, and trade may have on our understanding of Egypt’s maritime history.

Drr1g10@soton.ac.uk