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Online Seminar Series:

Alexandria and the Sea

Dear Friends,

Our partner, the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology (OCMA), is inviting you to attend its online seminar series "Alexandria and the Sea".

From 11th October to 2nd December lectures will be held each Monday and Thursday at 5 pm (GMT). The symposium aims to bring together scholars working on diverse aspects of the relationship between the ancient city of Alexandria and its connections with the maritime world via its Portus Magnus.

The series will culminate in my public lecture livestreamed by the University of Oxford on Thursday, 2nd December, in which I will present, for the first time, the results of our 25 years of research in the Portus Magnus of Alexandria.

For the full list of speakers and Zoom links to join click here:

https://www.franckgoddio.org/index.php?id=241

Alexandria was among the largest and most magnificent cities in antiquity. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, its architecture and culture even overshadowed those of the city of Rome. Palaces and temples dominated the skyline. The population had already passed the 100,000 mark shortly after Alexandria’s founding. The city’s 130 metres high Pharos lighthouse represented one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Alexandria was also famous for its huge library with about half a million roles of papyrus. Parts of the city’s royal quarter with its temples, palaces, royal gardens and harbour structures were situated in the eastern harbour, called the Portus Magnus.

Due to a combination of natural phenomena, including a series of earthquakes and tidal waves, the Portus Magnus and parts of the city’s ancient coastline sank beneath the sea and lay untouched for more than 1,000 years.

I am very much looking forward to the seminar series and meeting everybody online.

Best wishes,
Franck