In addition to providing the first detailed map of the Royal Quarter's layout -- something scholars have been able only to guess -- Goddio's expedition has uncovered a number of remarkable artifacts, among them:
Enter Cleopatra, whose entanglements with various Roman leaders not only preserved her kingdom, at least for a time, but also became the stuff of legend. Cleopatra's first Roman lover, Julius Caesar, did her the favor of killing the chief rival for her throne, her brother, Ptolemy XIII. Later, after Caesar's assassination, t he Egyptian queen secured Mark Antony's support and affections, eventually enticing him to join her in Alexandria, where they lived among the royal homes and temples built out into the city's East Harbor.
But Antony's allegiance to Cleopatra and his plan to create a vast kingdom with her riled many back in Rome. In 31 B.C., Octavian, Antony's longtime rival, attacked. Antony and Cleopatra, in separate ships, went out to meet his fleet. But at the battle of Actium, Antony was defeated. Cleopatra, seeing how badly the fighting w as going, pulled out her ship and headed home.
Within a year, Octavian was closing in on Egypt. Antony, after hearing a false report that Cleopatra had committed suicide, killed himself. Soon thereafter, Cleopatra, fearful that she would be put on display as a prisoner in Rome, also killed herself, although no one has been able to prove the legend that she did so by asp bite.
Alexandria remained Egypt's capital for several more centuries, but under the rule of the Romans. With Cleopatra's death, Egypt's time as the world's greatest power ended.
Now, 20 centuries later, Goddio is determined to restore some of Alexandria's lost glory. He and his divers have combed over what was once the royal island of Antirhodos only several hundred yards offshore and have confirmed ancient reports that it was paved in limestone blocks and covered with buildings. They've also located the submerged peninsula where Antony's sanctuary, called the Timonium, was built acro ss the water from Cleopatra's Palace.
It may seem surprising that such prizes would remain hidden for so long. But at Alexandria, the Mediterranean is so darkened with sewage and other pollutants that it's difficult for a diver to see more than a few feet away. Also, the harbor is considered a high security area by the Egyptian military, meaning anyone hoping to explore there has to first go through an exhaustive clearance and permit process.
As far back as the mid-1980s, Goddio began imagining what he might find under the old harbor. But it wasn't until 1992 that he and his European Institute of Marine Archaeology were cleared to begin searching for whatever lay beneath the silt. Goddio ha d the benefit of a new generation of equipment that allows marine archaeologists to zero in on objects under the floor of the sea. In addition to sonar scanning devices and global positioning systems adapted for underwater use, he had exclusive civilian use of a nuclear resonance magnetometer. This is an instrument that measures minute variations in the earth's underwater magnetic fields and allows researchers to detect buried objects.
Together, the equipment allowed Goddio's team to begin distinguishing shapes of large structures under the sediment. But the data gave them only an idea of where to start looking. Three years ago, with more permits and financial backing from the Hilti Foundation, Goddio's divers went down for a closer look. Despite all they knew, they had trouble at first, finding that a large mass Goddio thought might be Antirhodos was actually just a barren reef.
Goddio changed his strategy and instead had the divers fan out in all directions. And soon a diver turned up the first true clue -- a collection of amphorae, or distinctly shaped wine jars, found near what looked like an old jetty. Then he noticed the signs of ancient paving stones.
It was the beginning of the uncovering of Antirhodos, a process that has produced an impressive array of artifacts during the past three years. With the blessing of the Supreme Council for Egyptian Antiquities, Goddio's group has brought a number of the statues to the surface, and molds have been made for further study. The statues are then returned to their places underwater.
Goddio's team will head back to the harbor this spring. Each year brings more pieces of the past to light, a past that many Alexandrians feared might stay buried forever.
