Egypt: 2,000-year-old remains resurface off Alexandria
Egypt unveiled on Thursday, August 21, the remains of a sunken city off the coast of Alexandria, including buildings, tombs, fishponds and an ancient dock, all more than 2,000 years old.
According to the authorities, the site, located in the bay of Aboukir, could correspond to an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a stronghold of the Ptolemaic dynasty – which reigned over Egypt for nearly three centuries – then of the Roman Empire , established for around six centuries.
Over time, a series of earthquakes and rising waters engulfed the city and the nearby port of Heraklion, leaving behind an important archaeological site.
On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted several statues to the surface, while divers who helped retrieve them applauded from the shore.
"There are a lot of underwater items, but what we can bring up is limited, only pieces selected according to strict criteria," said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi. "The rest will remain an integral part of our underwater heritage."
The discoveries include limestone buildings that may have served as places of worship, dwellings, or commercial and craft structures. Rock-cut reservoirs and basins, intended for aquaculture and domestic water storage, have also been identified.
Notable pieces include royal statues and sphinxes dating back to before the Roman period, including one partially preserved bearing the cartouche of Ramesses II. Many statues are incomplete, such as a decapitated granite Ptolemaic figure, or the lower half of a Roman nobleman carved in marble.
A merchant ship, stone anchors and a harbor crane dating from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods were also found at the site of a 125-meter quay, used as a port for small boats in Roman and Byzantine times.
A site of great archaeological wealth, Alexandria is today threatened by the same waters that engulfed Canopus and Heracleion.
The coastal city is sinking by more than three millimeters per year and is among the areas most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Even in the most optimistic scenario drawn up by the UN, a third of Alexandria will be submerged or uninhabitable by 2050.
La Croıx
