underwater discovery team for the day, I anticipated remaining quiet, and staying out of the way. When I was shuttled out into the port of Alexandria and boarded the Princess Duda, I instead found myself greeted by a wall of smiling faces and visible enthusiasm. In retrospect, the name of the vessel should have denoted a sense of whimsy that I would come to find. As divers readied their gear on deck to get back into
Amphorae discovered in the underwater excavation of the Portus Magnus. Testimony of the Roman maritime trade in Alexandria.
Marine archeologist Franck Goddio
the water, Franck himself took me inside the main cabin and showed me some of his high-tech electronic equip- ment used to “see” beneath 20 feet of sediment. As he clicked through images and programs on his computer, showing me how they’ve been able to map out most of the ancient port, he reminded me more of an excited eight-year-old science buff, than a middle-aged world- famous explorer. Whatever his motivation, or possible cosmic force that summoned him to this forgotten city, it was astoundingly clear to me that Franck Goddio was meant to be here, floating above Cleopatra’s sunken palace. Back on deck he proudly displayed some of the
unearthed treasures he and his team had brought to the surface over the last few weeks. There were small amulets, statues, pottery and stoneware, unseen by human eyes for the better part of 2,000 years. Franck was generous with his time and information, detailing the processes they go through, not only in discovering these buried antiquities, but also in the time-consuming work of assimilating them back into life on dry land. As excited as he was about the objects being discovered, he seemed equally enthralled with the scientific protocol that consumes huge amounts of time and labor. The Mediterranean waters, even in the port, are
One of the finest finds from the bay of Aboukir is a remarkable Graeco-Egyptian product of the Ptolemaic era – a statue of a Ptolemaic queen in dark stone wearing the usual robe that identifies the sovereigns of Isis incarnate.
choppy and murky, with little to no visibility. Coupled with the fact that most finds are buried beneath many feet of sand and sediment, it was impossible for anyone to really know the ancient city was actually there, or even that it ever existed. Cross-referencing ancient texts with descriptions of ancient Alexandria, new technology pio- neered by Franck Goddio and his team have been able to corroborate what were once thought to be ancient myths. The newly added credence of these old-world texts may be useful in future discoveries throughout Egypt, maybe even leading us to the final resting place of Cleopatra and her beloved Mark Antony. Many of the finds from Alexandria’s port and other
Ceramics found at the Heracleion temple underwater excavation site. Second to Third century B.C..
Marble head of Antonia Minor, mother of Roman em- peror Claudius.
nearby underwater discoveries are traveling to Philadel- phia for an exhibition at the Franklin Institute. Not only will visitors to the exhibition get to see the most amazing of artifacts, but they’ll also get to experience the gratify- ing work that goes into discovering such buried objects, from the perspective of Franck and his team. Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt is currently making its world premiere at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia (
fi.edu), and will run through January 2, 2011. Information for lodging and exhibition packages can be found online at
visitphilly.com/cleopatra.
JULY 2010 | RAGE monthly 59
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