Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Magnificent Alexander statue found in Alexandria

Recent excavations in Alexandria have revealed the remains of a building from Ptolemaic times and a bridge.

This is part of an ongoing project directed by the Hellenic Institute for the Research of Alexandria Culture, which in the past 21 years, has been working in the Shalallat Gardens area. In 2015, a large public building belonging to the Ptolemaic era was found, and archaeologists believe it had an arched ceiling. Recently, a carved tunnel was exposed from underneath this massive building at a depth of ten meters.

[Marble statue of Alexander the Great found in the Shallalat Gardens in Alexandria - 
Credit: ANA/MNA]

This is exciting news because these remains are part of the Royal Quarters of the Ptolemies, which have been documented in antiquity. So far, the site has exposed some extraordinary finds of pottery, mosaic floors, and coins. The most significant discovery is, of course, this unique marble statue of Alexander the Great, executed in pure Hellenistic style and transferred to the National Museum of Alexandria for us to see!

The museum is a treasure trove exhibiting artifacts from old Egypt, as well as from Hellenistic, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic eras, including underwater finds. It is the only museum that tells the history of Alexandria through antiquity, and it is not surprising that the lovely head of Alexander the Great is kept here.


It seems that bit by bit, we are getting closer to getting a picture of the heart of ancient Alexandria – although there still is a very long way to go.
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 21, 2021 at 2:50 PM

    This is proof that persistance will be rewarded. The World will benefit from all of this hard work and dedication. Alexander is not a myth but a real flesh and blood Icon.

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    1. ArgyraspidJuly 21, 2021 at 4:05 PM

      Amen to that! Alexander is an icon and even a role model modern leaders could learn from! :)

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  2. Vanessa V.September 17, 2022 at 4:46 AM

    Did you know that the Colossus of Rhodes had the image of Alexander? And that they wanted to carve an image of him on the face of a mountain. The whole Hellenistic world was as if under the spell of Alexander.

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    1. ArgyraspidSeptember 17, 2022 at 10:44 AM

      I’ve never heard that the Colossus of Rhodes was meant to represent Alexander. Do you remember where you read that?
      It may well have been an idea of Dinocrates of Rhodes who had worked for Alexander planning the city of Alexandria in Egypt, reconstructing the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, and assembling the monumental funeral pyre for Hephaistion.
      It is not impossible that he drew the plans to carve an immense image of Alexander in the flank of Mount Athos in Chalcidice. It is unclear whether it was ever considered by Alexander.

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  3. Vanessa V.September 21, 2022 at 2:42 AM

    The data is in a book entitled The Search For Alexander, which is the catalog of an exhibition that was held after the archaeological finds in Vergina. In fact there was a whole type of statues called Alexander Helios and he was represented with his head crowned with rays of the sun. In that 1982 book, photographs of the objects found in Vergina and many others are shown, such as jewels and statues from the Hellenistic era, and it also has articles by the archaeologists who made the discovery, such as Manolis Andronikos, who believes that the tomb of Vergina belongs to Philip.

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