Sunken Cities Project

Sunken Cities Project
Name	Sunken Cities Project
Caption	Ancient harbor remains under excavation
Location	Mediterranean Sea
Period	Late Antiquity, Ptolemaic Kingdom, Roman Empire
Discovered	2000s
Archaeologists	Franck Goddio, DHW Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations
Disciplines	Underwater archaeology, Maritime archaeology

Sunken Cities Project The Sunken Cities Project is a multinational archaeological initiative focused on the systematic exploration of submerged urban sites off the coasts of Egypt, notably near Alexandria and Abu Qir Bay. Led by teams from institutions such as the Oxford University-linked Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, and private foundations connected to Franck Goddio, the project integrates partnerships with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the British Museum, the Louvre Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The initiative has drawn attention from media outlets including BBC News, The New York Times, and National Geographic and has implications for scholars working on the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Roman Egypt, and Ancient Greece.

Background and Discovery

The project's origins trace to remote-sensing surveys commissioned following earlier work by explorers associated with Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition and later scholars like Jean-Yves Empereur, Pierre Bikai, and Alexander F. Naili. Early indications emerged from geophysical data produced by teams including the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology with support from the Société des Amis du Louvre and donors tied to the Hilton Foundation. Exploratory missions referenced historical accounts from authors such as Strabo, Pliny the Elder, and Herodotus combined with maps by Ptolemy and travelers like Edward William Lane and Giovanni Belzoni. The first major publicized discoveries were announced in the 2000s by Franck Goddio's team in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities and later by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities during the tenures of Zahi Hawass and Mostafa Waziri.

Archaeological Investigations

Fieldwork has involved archaeologists from institutions including the University of Oxford, University of Southampton, University of Leicester, University of Naples Federico II, University of Alexandria, and the American University in Cairo. Excavations have been coordinated with curators from the British Museum, the Louvre, the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Collaborations extended to specialists affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, and the National Oceanography Centre. Findings have been presented at conferences hosted by the International Congress on the History of Cartography, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the World Archaeological Congress and published in journals such as Antiquity (journal), Journal of Archaeological Science, and Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale.

Methods and Technologies

Survey and excavation used technologies by firms and research centers including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, and the National Oceanography Centre. Techniques incorporated side-scan sonar surveys, sub-bottom profiling, and magnetometry conducted with vessels like the R/V Nautical Archaeology Research Vessel and equipment from manufacturers such as Kongsberg Gruppen and Teledyne Marine. Diving operations employed procedures guided by standards from the Hellenic Centre for Maritime Research, using mixed-gas rebreathers and remotely operated vehicles like those developed by Saab Seaeye and Schilling Robotics. Conservation labs partnered with the British Museum Conservation Department, the Laboratory of the Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Conservation Department implemented desalination, polyethylene glycol treatment, and freeze-drying protocols informed by studies from English Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland.

Key Findings and Artifacts

Excavations yielded monumental stonework, statues, and architectural elements linked to the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Hellenistic Egypt, and the Roman Empire including items comparable to artifacts in the British Museum, Louvre Museum, and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Notable finds include sphinxes, obelisks, statues of deities associated with Isis and Serapis, and objects bearing inscriptions in Ancient Greek and Demotic script. Ceramic assemblages align with typologies studied by scholars at the British School at Rome and the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Maritime finds such as amphorae correspond to trade networks documented in research by Fernand Braudel, Michael Rostovtzeff, and Richard Alston. Osteological remains informed bioarchaeological analyses performed by teams from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Numismatic evidence parallels coinage catalogues from the American Numismatic Society and the Royal Numismatic Society.

Historical and Cultural Significance

The discoveries illuminate urban topographies described in ancient sources like Strabo's Geographica and Pliny the Elder's Natural History and relate to the foundation narratives associated with Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter, and the dynastic politics of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The material culture informs studies of Hellenistic religion involving Serapis, syncretism addressed by scholars such as Erika Simon, and economic histories debated by historians including Moses Finley and Peter Temin. The project influences museum exhibitions at institutions like the British Museum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and contributes to heritage policy discussions involving the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Conservation and Site Management

Conservation efforts coordinate the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities with international partners such as the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Getty Conservation Institute. Site management strategies reference guidelines from UNESCO and employ protection measures similar to those used at Portus (Portus Romae) and Baiae with legal frameworks influenced by the 1972 UNESCO Convention and the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. Public engagement includes traveling exhibitions organized by the Science Museum (London), educational programs with the American University in Cairo, and digital dissemination through partners like Google Arts & Culture.

Category:Archaeological projects