Overview

• Archaeologists and divers lifted a curated set of artefacts from Abu Qir Bay, including a quartz sphinx bearing the cartouche of Ramesses II, headless Ptolemaic statues, a white marble Roman portrait and an ornate stone base thought to be part of a grain mill.
• Authorities say the site may represent an extension of ancient Canopus from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.
• A 125-metre dock with a merchant ship, stone anchors and a harbour crane was documented but left in place, with officials stressing that only items meeting strict criteria were retrieved.
• Most sculptures lack heads or feet, which the Supreme Council of Antiquities attributes to earthquake damage or an abrupt submersion event.
• Recovered pieces are being conserved for the Secrets of the Sunken City exhibition at the Alexandria National Museum, as reports note the find highlights Alexandria’s present-day sinking and sea-level risks.