[Centre for Egyptological Studies of the RAS]

Archaeology

Alexandria

Territory of the Concession

In 2003 the Centre for Egyptological Studies of the RAS got a permission to conduct archaeological survey of the coastal area beginning at the Anfushi Bay till Agami region.

Territory of the Concession

In 1911–1915 G. Jondet discovered the remains of ancient structures, located opposite Anfushi and Ras Et-Tin. These ruins, submerged up to 10 meters in the sea can be identified as port installations. Most likely, this port began to function long before Alexander founded his capital. It could be one of the reasons why he had chosen this very place for Alexandria. M.R. Weill supposed that the port installations were built during the pharaonic period by the Cretans.

The plan of the port is similar to outlines of the ports constructed during the Late Period at the coast of Lake Mareotis and excavated by F. Fakharani. The latter made a suggestion that these or other installations, located at the south of the Eunostos, could belong to the famous Kibotos. The Kibotos was an artificial box-shaped harbor, which protected the bay from the sea currents, always moving from west to east. According to Strabo, The Kibotos also included ship-houses, that characterize it as a rather large installation.

During Ptolemaic and Roman periods the importance of Eunostos noticeably increased as Egypt was considered to be one of the main granaries of the ancient world; while Diodorus mentioned the Alexandria harbor as the only safe place along the Egyptian coast of the Mediterranean.

Besides the port instalattion the territory of the concession should house medieval (and ancient?) fortification buildings. Taking into account that, due to the natural disasters, the transgression of the sea in Alexandria amounts to 10 meters, it is possible to suggest, that the seabed of the surveyed area can include submerged quarters of medieval and ancient Alexandria

S. Ivanov