Franck Goddio and his team from IEASM have been excavating and surveying underwater in Alexandria in Egypt since 1992, creating a map of the ancient port. The existence of a temple to Poseidon was mentioned by Strabo in his description of the Portus Magnus of Alexandria, and IEASM divers have found remains of a large building: limestone ashlars masonry, pink granite blocks, fragments of pink granite columns of different diameters, and imposing mortar blocks are scattered on an area of over 3,000 square meters. Archaeological excavation combined with underwater 3-D stereophotogrammetric coverage have revealed that these belong to a vast temple and corresponds well with Strabo’s account of its location. The temple to Poseidon was set within a large religious complex, created to reflect the grandeur and power of the Ptolemaic kings and queens.
Franck Goddio is the President and founder of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). With the support of the Hilti Foundation, he has directed underwater excavation and survey in Aboukir Bay, off the coast of Egypt since the 1990s. Using cutting-edge technology, he discovered the submerged cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus. In Alexandria, he has mapped and excavated the famed eastern harbour of Alexandria, recovering its ancient Royal Quarter. Franck Goddio co-founded the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology in 2003.
Image credit: Christop Gerigk (c) Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation