US EditionAncient Egyptian Pleasure Boat Found Off Alexandria
The 115-foot pleasure barge, uncovered by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, features Greek graffiti dating to early Roman Egypt, revealing insights into ancient luxury and rituals.
- In the port of Antirhodos, archaeologists uncovered a wrecked ancient Egyptian pleasure boat estimated at 115 feet long and 23 feet wide off Alexandria, Egypt.
- Led by archaeologist Franck Goddio, the Institut Européen d'Archéologie Sous-Marine recovered preserved timbers some 92 feet long and Greek graffiti dated to the first half of the 1st century A.D.
- Researchers say the thalamagos had a luxuriously decorated central cabin and a flat-bottomed hull, and appears to have been propelled only by oars.
- IEASM links the wreck to a yearly ritual voyage from Portus Magnus of Alexandria to the sanctuary of Osiris at Canopus, while Antirhodos' royal quarter likely hosted Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.
- Historians note parallels with Ptolemaic-era floating palaces, including Cleopatra VII's barge used to show Julius Caesar the sights in the spring of 47, enhancing study of elite Ptolemaic naval luxury.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Dived about seven meters underwater and hidden under a meter and a half of sediments, members of the European Institute of Submarine Archaeology (IEASM) have dug up for the first time the well-preserved remains of a unique ptolemaic boat from ancient Egypt that lay sunk in the ancient magnum port of the city of Alexandria. Archaeologists who have made the discovery speculate that it could be a recreational boat used for the leisure of the elite …
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The ArchaeologistA 2,000-Year-Old Pleasure Barge Resurfaces in Cleopatra’s Harbor, Telling Us of Life in Roman Egypt
Discover an ancient luxury shipwreck, complete with Greek graffiti, offering a rare glimpse into elite life on Alexandria’s waterways.
Off the coast of Alexandria, archaeologists have discovered a 35-metre-long Egyptian luxury boat from the first century, which provides new insights into the life and culture of ancient Egypt.
Archaeologists discovered the boat more than 35 metres long and about seven metres wide lay in the depths of the port of the Royal Island of Antirhodos Divers
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