In 2012, fieldwork began at two large sites in Egypt's western Delta, Kom al-Ahmer and Kom Wasit, to investigate them thoroughly and to reveal their significance. They were ideally placed to take advantage of ancient trade between the areas around the Mediterranean and the important Egyptian ports of Rosetta, Thonis-Heracleion, and Alexandria.

The first volume presents the results of the Italian archaeological mission at Kom al-Ahmer and Kom Wasit, Beheira, Egypt between 2012 and 2016. It provides details of the survey and excavation results of the different occupation phases, which range from the Late Dynastic to the Early Islamic period. The discovery of a complete town beneath the Nile silt through the combination of sophisticated techniques provides rich data for the study of the region.

Research on the history of the region has been focused on the Meteliete nome and Lake Edkou as a base for archaeological investigations in the region. These have resulted in the discovery of tens of Hellenistic houses and the enclosure wall of a temple at Kom Wasit; and a Late Roman house, amphora storage building, cistern, and early Islamic cemetery at Kom al-Ahmer. 

The second volume presents over 1070 coins (ca. 310 BC–AD 641) and 1320 examples of Late Roman and Early Islamic pottery, testimony to the considerable commercial activity in the region during the Late Antique period. Kom al-Ahmer and Kom Wasit emerge as centers of an exchange network involving large-scale trade of raw materials to and from the central and eastern Mediterranean.

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