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 Area where Cleopatra's palace was recovered. Picture available from http://www.discoveryarchaeology.com/0299toc/cleo.shtml From a grave beneath centuries of 20 feet of murky water, one of the great cities of the ancient world is slowly coming back to life.
Below: Divers uncovering artifact. Right: Diver discovering a sphinx. Pictueres available from http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0299toc/cleo.shtml
A team of 16 divers and archeologists from the European Institute of Marine Archeology made more than 3,500 dives in the water off Alexandria's Eastern Harbor over a period of four months. Using a satellite measuring system, the divers identified about 1,000 architectural features and artifacts scattered over an area about 1km by 1km. Here are a lists of some of the items.
A very rare statue of the Great Priest of Isis holding a Canopic jar
Two sphinxes, one of which is believed to be of Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra's father
A large black granite head that probably represents the Roman emperor Augustus
A larger-than-life, white marble statue depicting a Ptolemy king in the form of the god Hermes
Wooden remains of a pier dating from the fifth century BC
A shipwreck found in the private harbor of Antirhodos, the small island in the port where Cleopatra's Palace was located. Carbon dating of the wood places the boat at a time between 90 B.C. and 130 A.D. A hole in the ship's hull suggests that it may have been rammed by another vessel. |
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