Shipwreck Discovered Off Alexandria Reveals Secrets of Roman Egypt

2,000-Year-Old Egyptian Pleasure Shipwreck Found Underwater Off Alexandria 

Shipwreck Discovered Off Alexandria Reveals Secrets of Roman Egypt

Maritime archaeologists announced on Monday the discovery of a 2,000-year-old ancient Egyptian pleasure shipwreck underwater off the coast of Alexandria. Divers found the 35-meter-long, 7-meter-wide vessel in the harbor of Antirhodos Island, the European Institute of Underwater Archaeology (EIAU) said in a statement.

Greek inscriptions found on the ship "may date back to the first half of the first century AD" and "support the hypothesis that the ship was built in Alexandria." EIAU, based in Alexandria, added that the ship "appeared to have had a lavishly decorated cabin and was powered solely by oars."

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. A series of earthquakes and tsunamis struck its coast, submerging the island of Antirodos, which was discovered in 1996. Over the years, divers have unearthed statues, coins, and other treasures from the sunken island, some of which are now on display at the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria.

Franck Goddio, director of the European Institute of Underwater Archaeology, recently published a report on Antirodos and its Temple of Isis, based on underwater explorations conducted since the 1990s. The institute asserts that future research on the newly discovered wreck "promises a fascinating journey into the life, religion, wealth, and waterways of ancient Roman Egypt."

Alexandria is home to ancient monuments and historical treasures, but Egypt's second-largest city is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and rising sea levels, as it is being submerged by more than three millimeters each year. The United Nations says that in the best-case scenario, a third of Alexandria will be underwater or uninhabitable by 2050.