Overview

• Divers working in Abu Qir Bay on August 22 documented objects on the seabed as cranes raised large pieces to shore in a publicly observed operation.
• The haul includes a sphinx bearing Ramses II’s cartouche, fragments of Ptolemaic and Roman statues, coins, pottery, reservoirs for water and fish, stone anchors, and parts of a merchant ship carrying nuts and a copper measuring scale.
• Officials date most finds to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, citing evidence of a prosperous coastal center during those eras.
• Authorities say the location may correspond to the ancient seaport of Canopus, though the identification remains provisional.
• Egypt is restoring selected artifacts for the Secrets of the Sunken City exhibition at the Alexandria National Museum under UNESCO-informed criteria, with most material left in place.