On Monday 8 December, archaeologists discovered the wreck of a 2,000-year-old ancient Egyptian pleasure boat off the coast of Alexandria, further enriching our understanding of the region’s maritime history.
The vessel, measuring over 35 meters in length, was located near the submerged island of Antirhodos, a significant site that was part of Alexandria’s expansive port, Portus Magnus.
This discovery aligns with descriptions from the first-century Greek historian Strabo, who documented similar boats used by the royal court for leisure activities.
The pleasure boat’s construction, characterized by a luxuriously decorated cabin and designed to navigate shallow waters, offers invaluable insights into the engineering and social customs of its time.
Initial examinations suggest that it may have required more than 20 rowers for propulsion, emphasizing its role as a vessel for not just transportation but also entertainment and celebration.
Franck Goddio, director of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), stated that this marks the first time such a boat has been discovered in Egypt, previously only depicted in literature and artistic representations.
The excavation team has also noted the presence of Greek graffiti on the boat, which may date back to the first half of the first century AD, strengthening the hypothesis of its construction in Alexandria.
The latest discovery of the pleasure boat, lying approximately 7 meters underwater and 1.5 meters beneath sediment, has been hypothesized to have sunk during the destruction of the nearby Temple of Isis around AD 50—a period during which catastrophic earthquakes and tidal waves ravaged the coastline.
While the boat rests on the seabed, researchers anticipate that further studies will reveal more about life, luxury, and the cultural significance of waterways in early Roman Egypt.
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