Unearthing Alexandria’s Archaeology is an essential piece of work on one of the most significant archaeological sites of Egypt, and can certainly be placed in the History of Archaeology discipline that has recently raised much interest among scholars. It is particularly relevant to the activity of Italian archaeologists operating abroad in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries performing excavations in various countries (for example, Egypt, Greece and Turkey) and Italian colonies (see, for instance, major explorations in Libya) (La Rosa Reference La Rosa1986; Petricioli Reference Petricioli1990; Maurina and Sorge Reference Maurina and Sorge2010; Greco Reference Greco and Frascani2012).

The book primarily aims to provide a detailed outline of past excavations at Alexandria performed by Italian archaeologists and neglected by scholars until now. Thus, Unearthing Alexandria’s Archaeology benefits from a variety of archival and archaeological sources to understand how the Italians operated in the Egyptian city.

The introduction (1–2) offers some information on the scope of the book and the archival and photographic collections explored, such as that of the Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Centre (AlexMed). It is a very concise introductory section, which could have been expanded more by focusing on the broader, contemporary historical and political background of Egypt and placing the essay in the wider context of the history of Italian archaeology in the Mediterranean area. Chapter 1, ‘Italian archaeologists in Alexandria’ (3–23), seeks to introduce the main idea of the book, providing essential biographical information on Italian archaeologists and including very useful lists of their excavations and publications. This also includes archaeologists who have worked in the city recently, such as Nicola Bonacasa (1931–2015).

Chapters 2–7 form the main body of the book, focusing on the major excavations that occurred in Alexandria. Organised by site, these parts include various outlines regarding investigations at the Hadra necropolis (24–39), Chatby (40–60), the Anfushi necropolis on Pharos (61–81), Kom al-Chougafa (82–94), Serapeum (95–124) and Kom al-Dikka (125–43). The archaeological history of each site is explored in chronological order; Italian excavations are therefore reported from the oldest to the most recent ones, evidently providing more details on the earliest ones, which have been less documented in the past. Chapter 8 is the last section of the book, collecting numerous pictures and glass negatives from the AlexMed, as well as showing site views, antiquities, monuments, archaeologists at work and a few copies of records (144–89).

There are some aspects and missing elements that have to be pointed out briefly. First, the book lacks a concluding chapter: this could have focused on the evolution of the archaeological discipline among Italian archaeologists operating in Alexandria and provided a final, overall assessment of the data collected. Second, the book does not have an index, which would certainly have made it easier to track down the names of places, people, objects and significant things.

On the other hand, the book has some pivotal points of strength to report. First, the structure easily allows the reader to trace targeted information on archaeologists and their excavations by independent book sections. Second, the authors have gathered a substantial set of good quality black-and-white and colour images (including copies of records and maps), which provide numerous insights into late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century archaeology in Alexandria (in particular, see Chapter 8, 144–89). The book also contains a detailed list of figures (iii–v), which is useful for tracing images quickly. Third, authors have opted for an analytical approach to collecting data from archives, which is, however, fully associated with and complemented by site-by-site archaeological evidence.

Unearthing Alexandria’s Archaeology is a very welcome book that sheds new light on Italian archaeologists working in Egypt. Scholars will profitably find data and information on past excavations and improve their knowledge of Egyptian archaeology as well as the history of the discipline – a research theme that always needs constant investigation in archives.