Pilgrim Town of Philoxenite and Settlement Continuation in the Early Islamic Hinterland of Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

The history of settlements in the Mareotis region or the immediate hinterland of Alexandria in the first century following the Arab conquest of Egypt has not been sufficiently studied. Earlier findings stated that the region had suffered a settlement crisis prior to the second half of the 7th century AD, with an unstable hydrological situation as the contributing factor. Those findings contradicted the results of the archaeological excavations at Philoxenite, a town located in the western part of the Mareotis region. The Byzantine buildings and public spaces studied at that site had been in use until the first half of the 8th century. Upon analysis, the associated sequences of layers and structures imply that their uses were subject to modification. Putting these findings into the context of a regional perspective leads to the conclusion that the settlement history of Alexandria’s western hinterland was more complex than previously thought. Not only does this concern the difficulties in accessing water, but also the decrease in Christian pilgrimage traffic as important factors responsible for the changes.