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Waterways, settlements and shifting power in the north-western Nile Delta

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Abstract

The reconstructed landscape of the north-west Nile Delta in Egypt suggests that in antiquity (c. 300 bc to the ninth century ad), the lagoons, marshes and river channels provided a watery environment that was exploited to the maximum to support the major political power centres of the time. Archaeological evidence from the lagoonal areas of Mareotis, Abuqir, Edku and Burullus as well as the main river branches of Canopus and Bolbitine–Rosetta suggests that the location of settlements may have been a key factor in the network of monitoring and control of goods and raw materials travelling from place of production to urban centres. In addition, the creation of ‘new’ administrative units, including Alexandria, confirms the significance of the control of water systems and the sustainability of the areas in which they were located with abundant agricultural and fishing resources. Only modern developments in road and rail transport have changed this ancient system. The article examines these developments from an archaeological perspective.

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Acknowledgements

I thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council for a grant towards fieldwork and research leave. I am grateful to the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt for their assistance and collaboration, the Egypt Exploration Society, Roger Dickinson and the organisers of the ‘Water and Power’ workshop, as well as the anonymous reviewers of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Penelope Wilson

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  1. Penelope Wilson
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Correspondence to Penelope Wilson.

Appendix

Appendix

Key to sites shown on Maps

All maps are compiled from Survey of Egypt map sheets, 1: 50,000 (1997) (digitisation by Roger Dickinson and visualisation by Penelope Wilson).

  1. 1

    Kom Ishu

  2. 2

    Kom el-Hagg

  3. 3

    Kom Lemsan

  4. 4

    Kom el-Gel

  5. 5

    Kom Mahar

  6. 6

    Kom el-Farag, with cluster of 4 small sites

  7. 7

    Kom el-Adda

  8. 8

    Sidi Ghazi

  9. 9

    Kom Nagi

  10. 10

    Kom el-Birka

  11. 11

    Abu Guduur

  12. 12

    Kom el-Saqyah

  13. 13

    Kom Torouga

  14. 14

    Kom Qinis

  15. 15

    Kom Hassan

  16. 16

    Kom Khaleesh

  17. 17

    Buturis

  18. 18

    Kom el Khirbah

  19. 19

    Kom el-Boos

  20. 20

    Kom el-Nigili

  21. 21

    Kom Abu Ismail

  22. 22

    Kom el-Qanatir

  23. 23

    Kom el-Nasr

  24. 24

    Kom el-Qadi

  25. 25

    Baslaqoun

  26. 26

    Tell Luqin

  27. 27

    Kom Hammam

  28. 28

    Tell Sherif Khalaf

  29. 29

    Kom el-Giza

  30. 30

    Kom Defshu

  31. 31

    Kom Baharig

  32. 32

    Tell Abqa’in

  33. 33

    Kom el-Khatimi

  34. 34

    Kom el-Ahmar

  35. 35

    Kom el-Barud Kafri

  36. 36

    Kom el-Dahab

  37. 37

    Barnugi

  38. 38

    Kom Umm el-Laban

  39. 39

    Kom el-Shoqa

  40. 40

    Tell Abu Humar el-Kebir

  41. 41

    Kom el-Ghuzz

  42. 42

    Kom Firin

  43. 43

    Kom Mazen

  44. 44

    Kom Terfaya

  45. 45

    Kom Dahab iii

  46. 46

    Tell el-Kanaies

  47. 47

    Sidi Yussef

  48. 48

    Kom el-Nuss

  49. 49

    Kom el-Debaa

  50. 50

    Kom Hashiem

  51. 51

    Kom Aziza

  52. 52

    Kom el-Nakhlah

  53. 53

    Abwereh

  54. 54

    Kom Tagala

  55. 55

    Tell Bisintawy

  56. 56

    Ganadi

  57. 57

    Kom Barsiq

  58. 58

    Kom Sebah

  59. 59

    Kom Saieda

  60. 60

    Kom el-Qarawi

  61. 61

    Tell Abu Mandour/Kom el-Farah

  62. 62

    Sidi Uqba

  63. 63

    Kom Ghuraf

  64. 64

    Kom el-Waset

  65. 65

    Kom el-Ahmar

  66. 66

    Tell Dibi

  67. 67

    Tell Mutubis

  68. 68

    Tell Qabrit

  69. 69

    Tell Amya

  70. 70

    Tell Matiur

  71. 71

    Kom Abu Ismail

  72. 72

    Kom Qaalieh

  73. 73

    Kom el-Arab

  74. 74

    Kom el-Dahab

  75. 75

    Tell Aluwe

  76. 76

    Kom Sheikh Ibrahim

  77. 77

    Tell Foqaa

  78. 78

    Kom el-Ahmar

  79. 79

    Kom Haddadi

  80. 80

    Dimru

  81. 81

    Kom el-Misk

  82. 82

    Kom Sidi Selim

  83. 83

    Tell el-Daba

  84. 84

    Kom Khawalid

  85. 85

    Geziret Kom el-Akhdar

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Wilson, P. Waterways, settlements and shifting power in the north-western Nile Delta. Water Hist 4, 95–117 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-012-0053-z

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