Researchers have recovered 22 massive blocks from the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, which they hope will help digitally reconstruct the monument more than 2,300 years after its construction.
Archaeologists find parts of one of the Seven Wonders of the World in the Mediterranean
One of the most fascinating monuments of the ancient world is rising once again from the seafloor. A team of archaeologists has recovered 22 enormous stone blocks from the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, widely regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and, for centuries, the tallest human-made structure on Earth.
The blocks, which had remained submerged in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt, are part of an ambitious international effort to digitally reconstruct the lost monument and reveal what one of history’s most remarkable engineering achievements actually looked like.
The PHAROS Project
The recovery operation was carried out as part of the PHAROS Project, an initiative that brings together France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), led by archaeologist Isabelle Hairy, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Dassault Systèmes Foundation.
Archaeologists retrieved 22 monumental blocks from the lighthouse’s main entrance. Among them are lintels, door jambs, thresholds, and large paving slabs weighing between approximately 77 and 88 tons each.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the early third century BC during the reign of Ptolemy I and was designed by the Greek architect Sostratus of Cnidus. Located on the island of Pharos at the entrance to Alexandria’s harbor in Egypt, the structure stood more than 330 feet tall and served as a vital navigational aid for ships traveling the Mediterranean.
For more than 1,600 years, it remained a landmark for mariners until a series of earthquakes, particularly one that struck in 1303, led to its destruction. Centuries later, many of its stones were reused in the construction of the Citadel of Qaitbay, a fortress that still stands on the same site today.
A massive digital puzzle
The recovery effort is not solely intended to preserve the blocks. Its primary goal is to virtually reconstruct the monument using cutting-edge technology.
Each piece will be scanned using high-precision photogrammetry to create detailed three-dimensional models. Specialists will then analyze the blocks and incorporate them into a digital reconstruction of the lighthouse, much like assembling a giant archaeological puzzle more than two millennia in the making.
The project builds on substantial previous work. Over the past decade, researchers have already digitized more than 100 architectural fragments that remain underwater. These newly recovered blocks will now be added to that database, along with a wide range of historical sources, including ancient coins, mosaics, and written accounts from contemporary chroniclers.
Researchers hope this reconstruction will produce the most accurate representation ever created of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, a lost wonder that symbolized the power and grandeur of ancient Egypt’s greatest port city for centuries and is now slowly beginning to regain its form through the combined efforts of archaeology and modern technology.
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