Abstract
The Arab conquest of Egypt was an important event in the history of Egypt. It ended the ancient phase of Egyptian history and it moved the country in the new world of the middle ages.
The events of the conquest are known from several historical sources. Some of them are Christian, as The Chronicle of John, Bishop of Nikiu, and some are Arabic, such as The History of the conquest of Egypt written by Ibn 'Abd Al-Hakam.
However, this fascinating era of Egyptian history is only rarely studied by archaeologists. The excavation reports of the fortification sites are almost never put in the historical context.
The archaeology of the Late Roman and Byzantine fortification, which were the main focus of the military actions of the Arabic army, could be the key to better understatement of the conquest. The archaeological data could clarified some problematic parts of the historical records, or decide which of the contradicting versions is closer to reality.