Ancient Egyptian pleasure boat found by archaeologists off Alexandria coast | Egypt

An ancient Egyptian pleasure boat that matches a description by first-century Greek historian Strabo has been discovered off the coast of Alexandria, much to the excitement of archaeologists.

With its palaces, temples, and 130-meter-high Pharos Lighthouse – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – Alexandria was one of the most magnificent cities of antiquity. The pleasure boat, which dates from the first half of the first century, was 35 meters long and built to house a central pavilion with a luxuriously decorated cabin.

It was discovered off the submerged island of Antirhodos, which was part of the ancient Portus Magnus (great harbor) of Alexandria.

Strabo had visited the Egyptian city around 29-25 BC and wrote of these boats: “These boats are luxuriously appointed and used by the royal court for excursions; and the crowds of revelers who come down from Alexandria by the canal for the public festivals; for every day and every night is crowded with people on the boats who play the flutes and dance without restraint and with extreme license. »

The excavations were carried out by the European Institute of Underwater Archeology (IEASM) under the direction of Franck Goddio, visiting professor of maritime archeology at the University of Oxford.

He told the Guardian: “It’s extremely exciting because it’s the first time such a boat has been discovered in Egypt… These boats have been mentioned by different ancient authors, such as Strabo, and they were also depicted in some iconography – for example in the Palestrina mosaic, where we see such a much smaller boat with nobles chasing hippos. But [an actual boat] has never been discovered before.

While this mosaic perhaps depicts a 15 meter boat, this one is much larger, judging by its well-preserved beams, which also extend to a width of around 7 meters. It would have taken more than 20 rowers.

It was only 7 meters underwater and 1.5 meters below the sediment. Goddio’s initial hypothesis was that there were two ships on top of each other “because the type of construction was so strange.” He added: “The bow is flat… and the stern is round… to be able to navigate in very shallow water. »

Goddio’s most ambitious projects have been carried out off the coast of Egypt, in the eastern port of Alexandria and in Abu Qir Bay. In partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, it has been exploring a vast territory since 1992.

In 2000, the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion and parts of the city of Canopus were discovered in Abu Qir Bay – one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in recent years. Two colossal statues of a Ptolemaic queen and king are among the spectacular treasures that have been recovered so far.

In 2019, Goddio and his team discovered a shipwreck in the waters around Thonis-Heracleion, whose unusual details matched the description of another ancient Greek historian, Herodotus.

The latest discovery is less than 50 meters from the site of the Temple of Isis, which Goddio excavated. He believes the boat could have sunk during the catastrophic destruction of this temple around 50 AD.

After a series of earthquakes and tidal waves, Portus Magnus and parts of the ancient coastline sank beneath the sea, swallowing palaces and other buildings.

Another theory is that the boat could have been a sacred barge attached to the temple. Goddio said: “It could have… [been] part of the naval ceremony of side navigation, when a procession celebrated [the goddess] Isis encountered a richly decorated ship – the Navigium – which embodied the solar barque of Isis, mistress of the sea.

Graffiti in Greek was found on the central carling and has not yet been deciphered.

Although research on the wreck is still in its early stages, it promises to reveal new information about “life, religion, luxury and pleasures on the waterways of early Roman Egypt,” Goddio said.

The latest scientific results from the excavations at the Temple of Isis were recently published by the Oxford Center for Maritime Archaeology.

Professor Damian Robinson, director of the center, said of the new discovery: “This is a type of ship that has never been discovered before. Although we can read about cabin boats in ancient texts and see them in the artistic record, it is phenomenal to have an archaeological correlate.”

The wreck will remain at the bottom of the sea. Goddio said: “We follow the regulations of UNESCO, which considers that it is better [leave] the remains underwater.

Only a tiny percentage of the area has been explored. Excavations should resume.