Divers Excavate Sunken Ruins Of Cleopatra’s City

May 26th, 2010 - 7:23 pm ICT by GD  

By Madhuri Dey
seaAlexandria, Egypt, May 26, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Divers are exploring the ruins of the ancient kingdom of the famous queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. The ruins are submerged in the waters off ancient Alexandria in Egypt. The ruins have been submerged into the waters by the years of tsunamis and earthquakes that have struck the region. The divers have been able to excavate the ruins of a temple complex and a palace, possibly the one from which Cleopatra ruled. It is being speculated that this is possibly the richest underwater excavation site in the entire world, a veritable treasure trove. Already, the diving team has excavated some stunning artifacts from the underwater trove.

The archeologists are using highly advanced technology in order to find out what lies beneath the ruins. The ruins lie very deep, embedded in the years of sediment of limestone, making the excavation a painstaking task. The aim of the researchers is to establish how accurately the chroniclers and historians of that period had described the splendors of the lost city. So far they have been able to discover myriad objects, ranging from coins, everyday objects to whole temples and memorial statues made of granite and marble.

Miraculously enough, most of the artifacts and the statues have been discovered exactly the way they had been when they sank, the sediment forming a protective layer against the destructive saltwater. The excavated items are going to be put on display at the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. The exhibition will start from June 5, and will continue till Jan 2 next year. The exhibition will be titled “Cleopatra: The Search For The Last Queen Of Egypt.”

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