Marea
A Greco-Roman wine port on the southern shore of Lake Mariout, famous in antiquity for its Mareotic wine.
The wine town of Lake Mariout
Marea lies on the southern shore of Lake Mariout, about 45 kilometres south-west of Alexandria. In the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, the lands around the lake were among the most fertile vineyards of the Mediterranean, and Mareotic wine was praised by Roman poets such as Horace and Virgil. Marea was a busy harbour town from which wine, pottery and agricultural produce were shipped across the lake to Alexandria and beyond. Some scholars identify it with the town known in late antiquity as Philoxenite, a stopping point for pilgrims travelling to the shrine of St Menas at Abu Mena.
The ruins
Archaeological excavations, conducted for many years by a Polish mission from the University of Warsaw, have uncovered the remains of the ancient harbour with its stone piers, warehouses, a large Byzantine basilica, baths, houses, shops, kilns for the production of wine amphorae, and wine presses. The site gives a vivid picture of an ancient wine economy and of a town on the pilgrimage route to Abu Mena.
Visiting
Marea is a little-known site, and access arrangements may vary; it is best visited with a guide who can confirm opening and combined with Abu Mena, a short distance to the south.
Exhibo editorial
It's hard to imagine now, looking at the reeds and salt flats of Lake Mariout, that this shore was once one of the great wine regions of the Roman world. At Marea you can see the evidence: the stone piers of the harbour where amphorae were loaded onto boats, the wine presses, the kilns that made the jars.
It's a quiet, little-visited place, best combined with Abu Mena nearby on a day out from Alexandria. Go with someone who can confirm access, and raise a glass of Egyptian wine to the Mareotic vineyards that evening.
How to find it
Marea lies on the southern shore of Lake Mariout, about 45 km south-west of Alexandria, off the road towards Borg el-Arab and Abu Mena. A car and a guide familiar with the site are recommended.
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