Powered by 20 rowers, this massive vessel featured a central pavilion where the wealthy and powerful could, in the words of Greek historian Strabo, "dance without restraint and with extreme licentiousness."
Christoph Gerigk & Franck Goddio/Hilti FoundationThe wreck is about 2,000 years old and matches descriptions of ancient Egyptian pleasure barges written by the Greek historian Strabo.
Archaeologists have discovered the 2,000-year-old wreck of an ancient Egyptian pleasure boat off the coast of Alexandria.
A type of party barge known as a thalamagos, this vessel dates back to the early years of the first century C.E. It was found in what used to be Alexandria’s ancient port, near the now-submerged island of Antirhodos.
Furthermore, the wreck was found about 160 feet from Alexandria’s legendary Temple of Isis, which is currently undergoing excavation. And these are far from the only ancient finds made in this storied setting.
However, the boat remains a special discovery, as this is the first ancient Egyptian pleasure barge ever uncovered, despite the fact that scholars had known about their existence for centuries.
The Ancient Egyptian Party Barge Found Off The Coast Of Alexandria
Christoph Gerigk & Franck Goddio/Hilti FoundationThe boat was designed to be very wide in order to accommodate a center pavilion and cabin.
Archaeologists uncovered the boat’s hull, which was more than 115 feet long and 23 feet wide, according to a statement from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), which organized this underwater excavation. The vessel was extremely wide in order to accommodate a pavilion and an elaborately decorated cabin at its center.
Based on the flat design of the hull, the boat was likely used to traverse shallow and calm waters, rather than the open sea. The vessel likely required at least 20 rowers, who moved the boat forward using oars.
Archaeologists also uncovered graffiti written in Greek on the boat’s central carling. While the actual message has yet to be deciphered, researchers were able to date it back to the first half of the first century C.E., making the graffiti approximately the same age as the boat. The graffiti also helped archaeologists deduce that the ship was likely made locally in Alexandria, famous for its lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Christoph Gerigk & Franck Goddio/Hilti FoundationA scan of the full length of the shipwreck.
“It’s extremely exciting because it’s the first time ever that such a boat has been discovered in Egypt,” IEASM founder Franck Goddio told the Guardian.
Archaeologists concluded that the ship likely sank during a catastrophic series of earthquakes and tidal waves in 50 C.E., when the nearby Temple of Isis was also destroyed.
There are several hypotheses as to what the boat was used for. One possibility is that it was used to traverse the canals of Alexandria, probably as a pleasure vessel, but perhaps also for cargo. The other theory is it held some ritual importance and may have belonged to the Temple of Isis.
How This Find Fits Into The Submerged History Of Ancient Alexandria
Wikimedia CommonsThe Palestrina mosaic features boats similar to the one just found near Alexandria.
Goddio added that large pleasure boats such as this one show up in iconography like the famed Palestrina mosaic, a 2,000-year-old Roman work of art depicting scenes of ancient Egypt. A boat like the one found in the wreck was also described by ancient Greek historian Strabo when he visited Alexandria between 29 B.C.E. and 25 B.C.E.
“These vessels are luxuriously fitted out and used by the royal court for excursions; and the crowd of revellers who go down from Alexandria by the canal to the public festivals; for every day and every night is crowded with people on the boats who play the flute and dance without restraint and with extreme licentiousness,” Strabo wrote in Geography.
This isn’t the first time that archaeologists from the IEASM have uncovered remarkable ancient finds in the waters surrounding Alexandria. In 2000, the team located the submerged city of Thonis-Heracleion. Amongst the numerous finds were two colossal statues of a Ptolemaic queen and king.
More recently, in 2019, the team found another shipwreck near the sunken city. This ship matched descriptions written by Greek historian Herodotus. And now, Goddio and his team are excavating the Temple of Isis, located not far from the shipwreck.
While research into the wreck is still in its beginning stages, archaeologists are confident that there is much to learn from this astonishing sunken vessel. That said, there are no plans to bring the ship to the surface, as doing so might damage it.
But even with the boat still sitting in its watery grave, it may shed much more light on one of the lesser-studied corners of ancient Egyptian history.
After reading about the 2,000-year-old boat found near Alexandria, check out the giant blocks from the lighthouse of Alexandria that were pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea. Then, learn about the rise and fall of the Library of Alexandria.
