The ruins of Marea are located approximately 45km west of Alexandria on the southern shore of Lake Maryut (31°07′ N, 29°55′ E), just west of the Nile Delta. The name of the town, which was used in antiquity to refer to the lake and to the district as well, is a Latin derivative of the Greek "Mareotis," a toponym probably derived from the Egyptian root mrt (canal, artificial lake) or mryt (bank, shore, quay; plural mrw, harbors). The Arabic name of the lake is almost certainly based on that root as well. The site was identified as the ancient town as early as 1872 by M.Pasha el-Falaki, and was briefly described (with a sketch map) by Anthony de Cosson and others, such as Hermann Kees. Excavations, directed by Fawzi el-Fakharani of the University of Alexandria, were initiated in 1977. A Boston University group participated in three seasons of investigation (1979-81), mapping the lakeside portion of the site and conducting additional excavations.