Naukratis I and II, Hawara, Biahmu, and Arsinoe

Reissued here together are three illustrated excavation reports, published in 1886, 1888 and 1889, relating to important archaeological digs in Egypt. The first two focus on Naukratis, the ancient Greek colony in the Nile Delta. The last covers the significant discovery of a Roman necropolis and mummy portraits at Hawara.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853–1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. Ernest A. Gardner (1862–1939) was to become a leading classical archaeologist, but his first major project was carrying on the work of Petrie at Naukratis, the ancient Greek colony in the Nile Delta that Petrie had discovered in 1884. Reissued here together are Petrie's initial excavation report of 1886 and Gardner's 1888 continuation, each with many illustrations and material contributed by specialists on certain topics. Notably, the finds of inscribed pottery yielded significant insights into how the Greek alphabet developed. The final component included here is Petrie's 1889 report covering recent digs, particularly his discovery of a Roman necropolis and dozens of remarkable mummy portraits at Hawara. He wrote prolifically throughout his long career, and a great many of his other publications are also reissued in this series.