IttiHaas Chronicle
archaeology

Submerged Shipyard of the Pharaohs: Ptolemaic Naval Infrastructure Found off Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor

📅 April 11, 2026 📰 Mediterranean Maritime Journal
Submerged Shipyard of the Pharaohs: Ptolemaic Naval Infrastructure Found off Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor

Underwater archaeologists have located a massive, well-preserved naval complex dating to the Ptolemaic period submerged beneath the waters of Alexandria. The find includes seventeen massive limestone slipways designed to haul the legendary "polyremes"—giant warships of the Hellenistic era—out of the water for maintenance and construction.

As reported in the Mediterranean Maritime Journal, the site also yielded rare cedar timber fragments and bronze nails, providing the first physical evidence of the scale of Egyptian naval power under the Ptolemies. This shipyard likely supported the fleet that maintained Egyptian dominance over the Mediterranean trade routes.

Original source: Mediterranean Maritime Journal