En esta noticia
In the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, a team of leading archaeologists made a discovery of enormous historical value. It consists of 22 blocks of monumental dimensions that were part of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, a structure that remained submerged for centuries in the waters of this ancient port in eastern Egypt.
The discovery is part of the international PHAROS project, an initiative developed jointly by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), under the direction of archaeologist Isabelle Hairy, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Dassault Systemes Foundation.
The goal of this operation is to scan the recovered pieces to advance the digital reconstruction of the ancient monument, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, found under the sea
Among the extracted elements are lintels, jambs, thresholds and paving slabs, with weights reaching between 70,000 and 80,000 kilos each. These pieces were part of the lighthouse’s monumental entrance, whose architecture combined Egyptian and Greek techniques.
Although the sunken ruins had been visible since 1968, systematic archaeological work has been carried out for more than 20 years. In 1994, French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur led a large-scale exploration and documented more than 3,300 objects, including sphinxes, obelisks, columns and granite blocks.
The blocks were recovered after 3 decades of underwater research, begun by Yves Empereur, who identified the first remains of the submerged lighthouse. Now, with new technology, the team managed to recover the most imposing pieces.
What the reconstruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria is like
More than 100 of these architectural fragments have been digitally scanned on the seabed over the last decade.
To complement the digital reconstruction, a team of experts -including historians, archaeologists, numismatists and architects-, is compiling descriptions and ancient depictions of the tower.
Each of these blocks, which weigh up to 80 tons, will be scanned using detailed photogrammetry. Specialists from the Dassault Systemes Foundation will digitally analyze and virtually reposition the blocks as if they were pieces of a vast archaeological puzzle.
What the Lighthouse of Alexandria was like
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, under the reign of Ptolemy I Soter. It was built by the Greek architect Sostratus of Cnidus and stood more than 100 meters high on the island of Pharos, safely guiding ships through the treacherous coastal waters of Alexandria.
It held the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 1600 years, until an earthquake in 1303 rendered it useless. The remaining stones were recycled by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa’it Bay to build a fortress on the same site in 1477.