Ring depicts ancient wonder of the world off Egypt’s coast
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Archaeologists working off the coast of Egypt discovered a bronze ring bearing an engraving of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The team found the ring during excavations of the sunken island of Antirhodus, located in the Great Harbor of Alexandria. Egyptian authorities report this is the first time an image of the lighthouse has been found on a ring of this type. The ring’s shield features a multi-tiered tower resembling depictions of the lighthouse on coins from the second century CE.
This detail is especially valuable to researchers because knowledge of the structure’s appearance previously relied on ancient texts and coin images. The artifact was recovered from the site of a palace on Antirhodus, part of the royal quarter of ancient Alexandria and a residence of rulers including Cleopatra. The head of the underwater excavations, Franck Goddio, believes the palace may have housed administrative offices connected to the lighthouse’s operation.
Built around 280 BCE, the Lighthouse of Alexandria guided ships into the harbor for centuries and stood over 100 meters tall before earthquakes caused its eventual collapse.
