Divers hunt for ruins of Pharos lighthouse

Underwater archaeologists

search the waters for Egyptian

relics, Christopher Walker writes

 

A team of 30 divers is hurriedly searching the Mediterranean for the remains of the mighty Pharos lighthouse, built more than 2,200 years ago and regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

 

In addition to Pharos, the joint French and Egyptian expedition is searching for the remnants of Greek temples and statues. The aim of the £300,000 project is to map a 23,920 sq yard area off Egypt's second largest city, founded by Alexander the Great. Under the water is a vast collection of ruins, some of which the 20 French and ten Egyptian divers hope to excavate and salvage. The team is hoping that among the remnants may be the lighthouse, built in 279 BC during the reign of Ptolemy II.

 

The huge white marble building was the marvel of its day. It was more than 400ft high in a colonnaded court and was equipped with a hydraulic lift to raise fuel to the roof. Its lantern, probably magnified by a reflecting device, could be seen over a radius of 34 miles. Within its square base were up to 300 rooms designed to house mechanics and operators; above were an octagonal storey and a circular storey, topped by a lantern with a beacon, the exact workings of which are still a mystery.

 

Although the lantern collapsed as early as the eighth century, the lighthouse served for 1,400 years as the symbol of Alexandria and a beacon for ships, until devastating earthquakes in 1100 and 1307 brought it tumbling down, presumably sending much of the debris into the sea surrounding Pharos island on which it was built.

 

The divers have made some fascinating discoveries, including at least three layers of blocks, some estimated to be as heavy as 70 tones, which may have been part of the lighthouse. "It is certainly possible that some of the pieces come from the lighthouse itself," said Jean-Pierre Cortegiani, a member of the expedition. "In fact, it would be amazing if nothing came from the lighthouse, seeing as this is where it toppled into the sea." Also discovered were hundreds of smaller blocks, thought to be pieces of temples and statues dating back to the Ptolemaic period. Among them were pieces of ancient columns, many inscribed, and huge granite and marble statues of sphinxes and Egyptian Gods, some of which stood 15ft high.

 

"We are making an identification of the blocks, studying the inscriptions and choosing some to be taken out," Cortegiani said. "We cannot take all the blocks out, but maybe we can have something like an underwater archaeological park."