Archaeologists and divers have retrieved a remarkable collection of ancient artifacts from a 2,000-year-old submerged city near Alexandria, Egypt, shedding new light on the region’s Ptolemaic and Roman past.
The discoveries were lifted Thursday from the shallow waters of Abu Qir Bay, where reporters gathered to witness the recovery operation. Using cranes, teams carefully brought up a variety of items, including a headless statue, a sphinx, and a figure of a priest. According to Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, the site may once have been an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a center of worship and trade that thrived before being lost to the sea.
“There’s a lot underwater, but what we’re able to bring up is limited. It’s only specific material according to strict criteria,” said Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities. He emphasized that Egypt’s 2001 ratification of UNESCO’s Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage restricts the removal of artifacts to protect sites of historical importance. “The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage,” he added.
Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the objects span multiple eras. “The artifacts that you see date back to successive periods, starting from the Ptolemaic era,” he said, noting that this period of nearly 300 years was followed by Roman rule, which lasted for about six centuries.
The recovered treasures are undergoing restoration and will soon be displayed to the public. They are set to join the Secrets of the Sunken City exhibition, which opened Wednesday at the Alexandria National Museum. The exhibition currently features 86 rare objects offering a glimpse into life during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, ranging from religious figures to everyday artifacts.
The finds are the latest in a series of underwater archaeological discoveries made in Abu Qir Bay, an area that once hosted thriving cities before earthquakes and rising waters submerged them centuries ago. Experts believe the preservation of the sites beneath the sea has helped protect the artifacts from looting and erosion.
For Egypt, the unveiling of these relics not only enriches the historical record but also underscores the country’s efforts to promote cultural heritage and tourism. With careful excavation and preservation, officials hope the treasures of the ancient sunken cities will continue to attract global interest while safeguarding what remains beneath the waves.
