THE SITES

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Site 1 at Chatby

This site is adjacent to the submerged eastern contour of the Royal Quarters that were partially located on the promontory having at its tip the temple of Isis Lochias. Man-made targets were detected during the side scan sonar survey. Some deep-water targets can be interpreted as shipwrecks (we must assess whether those are ancient or modem wrecks), while others may indicate man-made structures. Our 5th and 6th campaigns were most rewarding, as our divers were able to work very near the tip of the cape due to the favorable weather. At a depth of c.7 m several architectural elements, most made of red granite were located, scattered on the sea floor. Most important because of their size are three very large pieces weighing several tons each; a complete pedestal, part of the framing of a gigantic door preserved up to a length of 3.60 m, and a complete architectural element that was part of a pylon 2.60 m high. The architectural element is of particular interest because it is known that such monumental entrances were placed in Ptolemaic times in front of temples imitating the pharaonic style: and this piece was found in the immediate vicinity where it is known that the Temple of Isis Lochias stood. Another 10 smaller architectural elements made of granite were also found.

 

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Site 2 at Chatby

This is a coastal area extending immediately southwards of Site 1. Aerial photography has clearly shown man-made structures in the shallows near the beach. In the immediate vicinity north of these structures, in deeper waters, the side scan sonar has detected a number of abnormalities on the seabed showing elongated contours running parallel to the cape. There is also a line of structures parallel to the coast. The depth varies from 1 m to 5 m. During our 5th and 6th campaigns, two trenches were dug in the sand under the stilt on which the Chatby Casino stands. Numerous pottery sherds, most dating to the Late Roman times, as well as small broken pieces of marble and granite, were recovered. The excavation will be resumed in the future, in order to establish if, as it is believed, the Casino stands on the ruins of the Martyrium of St. Mark, a revered monument of the 4th century AD.

 

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Site 3 at Ibrahimieh

This is a reef surrounded by sand at a distance of 560 m from the shore. A very important concentration of small stone-anchors and stone-weights, the largest and densest known in the Mediterranean, was discovered here. Of the 58 stone-anchors and weights found, thirty have been lifted and delivered for conservation to the Kom ‘el Dikka Laboratory. A large number of pottery sherds, mostly belonging to late Roman amphorae, are cemented in the cavities of the rocks. Some were lifted and delivered for conservation at the same laboratory. We believe that the stone-anchors — most belonging to the three-hole composite type — as well as the stone-weights, belonged to small fishing vessels and were lost when they became entangled in the rough seabed. Thin sections of a stone- anchor were made and a sample of stone recovered from the Ibrahimieh quarry was analyzed at the Department of Geology of the University of Patras. They were found to be made of similar oolitic limestone quarried from the same quarry. The same analysis will be carried out on all stone-anchors and weights. We can already say that at least one of the anchors has a local provenance, winch may indicate that the ship that lost it was local.

The most important find of this site came at the very end of the 5th campaign when the lead elements of a very large composite anchor were found and raised. These included a lead stock, 2 m in length and weighing over 250 kg, and a heavy lead assemblage collar, used to secure the two arms to the wooden stock. The wood has been lost over centuries of immersion in the sea, but we estimate that when the anchor was complete its height must have been over 3 m and its weight around 600 kg, making this find one of the largest anchors of this type ever found in the Mediterranean. It has been dated to the 1st century BC-1st century AD. After conservation all the material will be drawn and studied.

 

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Site 4 at Ibrahimieh

In the shallows neighbouring the Cornish, the remains of an unusually large stone quarry were discovered, extending along the coast for some 300 m, and northwards into the sea for circa 70 m. The depths vary from 0.25 m to 5 m. An artificially cut channel run through the quarry and was probably used for removing stone blocks on rafts. The void resulting from quarrying has formed basins of various sizes and depths. These basins may have had a secondary use as tanneries and/or dying tanks. A number of cist burial sites coexist with the quarry, just as some coastal constructions that are partly submerged and need further study to be understood. The whole of this site is being carefully surveyed and a topographic plan is in the process of being drawn. On the beach between the quarry and the wall of the Cornish, superficial removal of sand has exposed an enormous quantity of large and small stones. Some of these limestone blocks are similar to the ones found in the sea and are the remains of the final quarrying activities before the quarry was abandoned. However, pieces of granite, basalt, marble and some limestone, constitute the remains of architectural elements.

 

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Site 5 at Sporting

This site was discovered during our 5th survey and was noticed while taking aerial photographs of the coastal area at Sporting. A large zone in the shallows is covered with the foundations and remains of a complex of man-made structures. The main building, of which the foundations can be seen deeply cut into the leveled rock, is square-shaped and divided longitudinally into three parts. The total dimensions are approximately 57 m x 18 m. The direction is approximately east to west. There is an adjacent structure to the west that is slightly elliptical in shape with a diameter of circa 50 m. All structures preserve the deep cuttings in the rock as well as scanty remains of masonry. There are also some broken drums of columns and capitals. The area between the rectangular building and today’s shore is covered with deep carvings, which are the result of stone quarrying activities that probably preceded the large constructions and may have been part of the leveling of the site. Most of the submerged structures were preliminarily drawn, but it will take a lot more time to completely study, draw, and understand the nature of these very extended and important ancient remains. No dating can be advanced at this stage but two capitals with heavy incrustations found in the rectangular structure are being conserved and their study may help date the remains. Site 5 at Sporting will be a priority during the following campaigns.

 

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Site 6 at ‘El-Hasan Reef

During the 7th campaign of November 2001, a preliminary survey at ‘El-Hasan reef (0.5 km NE of Cape Silsileh) revealed the presence of a Roman shipwreck, with scattered cargo of broken amphoras, dated to the 2nd – 3rd century AD. The depth, where the wreck is lying, varies from 9 m to 13 m. Beside the remains of this large shipwreck, divers have found an enormous amount of broken pottery, all over the reef, and this could be an indication that more shipwrecks may be detected during our next campaigns.