Speakers

Dr Harry   TZALAS
President, Hellenic Institute of Ancient and Mediaeval Alexandrian Studies

Biography:

Ilias Theocharis (Harry) Tzalas is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies, born in Alexandria during 1936. He gave a series of seminars, in 2010, on Marine Archaeology to post-graduates at the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies; and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Thalassa Museum at Ayia Napa, Cyprus (2005–2010). Harry Tzalas participated in the making of 22 scientific documentaries on Marine Archaeology. He has numerous published articles related to nautical archaeology, ship construction, and the history and topography of Ancient Alexandria in scientific periodicals and publications. In addition, four of his novels and short stories were published in Greek and two were translated into English; Farewell to Alexandria and Seven Days at the Cecil, which was published by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. He was also the Secretary-General of the Ionion Center for the Arts and Culture in Athens. He has been active since 1989 in fighting drug addiction, and was elected for three terms as President of the Greek Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals.

 

Abstract:

The Underwater Archaeological and Geophysical Surveys of the Greek Mission in Alexandria, Egypt (1998–2016)
Christos REPAPIS
Harry TZALAS

In 1997, the Hellenic Institute of Ancient and Medieval Alexandrian Studies obtained from the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt a concession for an archeological underwater survey of the Eastern Coast of Alexandria. The following year, the Greek Mission conducted its first survey on a site extending eastwards of Al-Silsilah Promontory. Twenty-nine surveys have been conducted, in cooperation with the Department of Underwater Antiquities of Egypt. Nowadays, the area of the concession extends up to the Bay of Mandara. The 2014, 2015 and 2016 campaigns were jointly conducted with the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for Environmental Sciences and focused on a better understanding of the process that lead to the uneven subsidence of the littoral of Ancient Alexandria. The most abrupt submergence was noted between the El Hassan Reef and the tip of Al-Silsilah Promontory.

The Corniche recent widening obliterated most of the findings at Ibrahimieh and Sporting, while the dumping of concrete blocks modified the aspect of the submerged remains of a necropolis extending from Bir Maasoud to Gezireh Gabr el-Khour at Sidi Bishr.

The most important findings are in the area of Akra Lochias, east of Silsileh, and include numerous architectural remains of the Graeco-Roman times, some attributable to the Temple of Isis Lochias neighboring the Mausoleum of Cleopatra VII. Eight large blocks with pharaonic inscriptions have also been found. Important structures, as well as, artifacts scatter on the seabed at Chatby.

A large ancient stone quarry was surveyed at Ibrahimieh just in time before its disappearance under the reclaiming material and the concrete blocks dumped for the widening of the Corniche. Other important remains of ancient structures were surveyed extensively before their partial disappearance under the concrete blocks at Sporting.

An excavation on Gezireh Gabr el-Khour Islet brought to light a hypogeum tomb and some 70 stone anchors have been found, most on a reef off Ibrahimieh; they date to Islamic times; over 50 were raised and conserved. The main components of a large composite Late Hellenistic/Early Roman anchor, as well as an iron anchor dating to Late Roman or Early Byzantine times, were raised and conserved.

All those findings have added important information to the topography of the Eastern part of the Baseilia, the Royal Quarters, as well as of the extended suburbs Extra Muros known as “I pros Eleusini Thalasa”, Mare Eleusinium, Nicopolis, Juliopolis and later as Ramleh.