Nelson Island is located 4 km off Abu Qir Bay, and 18 km from the center of Alexandria. The Italian archeological mission, directed by Paolo Gallo from the University of Turin, started its work on the Island in 1998. The mission excavated more than two-hundred finds of high archeological importance, fundamental for understanding the life and culture of the ancient inhabitants of the site. The discovered monuments and artifacts date back to the 26th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and to the Ptolemic Period. Among the finds are also some artifacts, graffiti and burials that date back to the British occupation shortly after the Battle of the Nile, in August 1798.
The BA Antiquities Museum houses 183 of the artifacts discovered on Nelson Island.