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Relics From an Ancient Egyptian ‘Party Town’ Are Pulled Out of the Sea

Middle East|Relics From an Ancient Egyptian ‘Party Town’ Are Pulled Out of the Sea

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/world/middleeast/egypt-alexandria-sunken-city.html

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Remnants of a 2,000-year-old sunken city, Canopus, were lifted from waters off Alexandria, Egypt, revealing the city might have been larger than thought.

Aug. 28, 2025, 6:18 a.m. ET

Remnants of an ancient, sunken city were lifted out of the waves off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt, last week, officials said, with cranes hoisting parts of statues and tools dating back 2,000 years.

The antiquities were recovered as part of a major archaeological operation that has unfolded over the last year. The excavation uncovered statues of human figures, a sphinx, an ancient dock, coins and Roman-era tools, like parts of a millstone, officials said.

The findings paint a fuller picture of the bustling, ancient city of Canopus, known for being both a religious center and a “party town,” said Damian Robinson, the director of the Oxford Center for Maritime Archaeology.

Last week, people cheered from the shore as the artifacts, long buried under silt and clay, were pulled from the water with officials and politicians looking on, local media reported.

Two men help guide a large object carried by straps out of the water.

The excavation on Thursday highlighted archaeologists’ recent work in the Bay of Abukir.

This is the first time that the western side of the bay has been explored in detail, said Mr. Robinson, who has taken part in past excavations in the Bay of Abukir, where the items were found.