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| Alexandria Faculty of Archaeology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Faculty of Archaeology, Alexandria University |
| Native name | كلية الآثار، جامعة الإسكندرية |
| Established | 1945 |
| Type | Public |
| City | Alexandria |
| Country | Egypt |
| Campus | Urban, Alexandria University campus |
Alexandria Faculty of Archaeology is a constituent faculty of Alexandria University specializing in the study of Ancient Egypt, Classical antiquity, and Mediterranean archaeological traditions. The faculty trains archaeologists, conservators, and museum professionals while conducting fieldwork across Egypt, the Levant, and the Mediterranean basin. It operates within a network of regional and international institutions including the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, and the British Museum.
Founded in the mid-20th century, the faculty developed amid postwar expansions of Alexandria University and rising national interest in Tutankhamun-era studies, Ptolemaic dynasty archaeology, and Hellenistic urbanism such as Alexandria itself. Early leadership included scholars trained at Cairo University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Rome La Sapienza, and collaborations were established with the Egypt Exploration Society, the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, and the American Research Center in Egypt. Over decades the faculty responded to major discoveries linked to the Rosetta Stone legacy, the excavations at Kom el-Dikka, and underwater work near Pharos lighthouses, while navigating policies influenced by the 1952 Egyptian revolution and later cultural heritage legislation.
Located on the urban campus of Alexandria University, the faculty occupies purpose-built lecture halls, conservation laboratories, and a specialized archaeological library. Facilities include a materials science laboratory equipped for archaeometric analyses in partnership with the National Research Centre (Egypt), photographic archives modeled on collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and climate-controlled storage comparable to museum repositories at the Egyptian Museum (Cairo). The campus provides access to collections from field projects at sites such as Abu Qir, Tell el-Amarna, and Berenice and hosts visiting researchers from the Smithsonian Institution, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and the University of Cambridge.
Programs span undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with curricula emphasizing field methods, conservation, and classical languages including Ancient Greek, Latin, and Hieroglyphs. Coursework draws on comparative studies of material culture from the Pharaonic period, the Byzantine Empire, and the Roman Empire, integrating modules on epigraphy, numismatics, and maritime archaeology similar to offerings at the University of Athens and the University of Pisa. Graduate research supervised by faculty often intersects with international doctoral programs at the Sorbonne, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Heidelberg University.
The faculty directs and participates in excavations at coastal and inland sites, coordinating with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and foreign missions such as the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, the Danish Institute in Cairo, and the American University in Cairo. Notable fieldwork projects include urban archaeology at Kom el-Dikka, underwater surveys at Abu Qir Bay, and cemetery studies near Marsa Matruh. Research outputs engage with debates on the Hellenistic period, trade networks of the Roman period in Egypt, and site formation processes studied alongside specialists from the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the University of Southampton.
The faculty curates a teaching collection and public museum that houses artifacts from local excavations: pottery from the Nile Delta, coins linked to the Ptolemaic dynasty, and funerary objects reflecting rites of the Late Period of ancient Egypt. The museum collaborates with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on exhibitions and loans, and has lent objects to institutions including the Louvre, the Hermitage Museum, and the Ashmolean Museum. Conservation projects have conserved ceramics and textiles using techniques developed with the Getty Conservation Institute and documentation standards aligned with the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model.
Teaching and research staff comprise archaeologists, conservators, and historians who trained at leading centers such as University College London, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the University of Heidelberg. Administrative governance follows university statutes of Alexandria University and maintains joint appointments with national bodies like the Supreme Council of Antiquities and international research councils such as the British Academy. Visiting professorships have included scholars associated with the Institute for Advanced Study, the University of Chicago, and the Max Planck Society.
Students engage in excavations, laboratory internships, and exchanges with partner institutions like the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology. Alumni have entered careers at the Egyptian Museum (Cairo), international museums, heritage NGOs, and academic posts at institutions such as the University of Alexandria, the University of Durham, and the University of Toronto. Graduates have contributed to major projects involving sites such as Tanis, Saqqara, Alexandria (ancient city), and maritime initiatives with the Underwater Archaeology Unit.