Traces of Philip III Arrhidaeus in Egypt

As strange as it may seem, archaeologists have discovered several inscriptions praising Pharaoh Arrhideus/Philip III and the crocodile god of the Nile, Sobek.

Since Alexander the Great had not made any arrangements for his succession, the Macedonian army elected his half-brother to be their new king. As we know, the succession of Alexander led to many years of lengthy bickering and fights among his generals, the Diadochi, turning into hopeless wars that lasted for nearly forty years.

Arrhideus/Philip III was only king in name since he was retarded and hence unfit to rule Alexander’s huge empire. Not much literature or artwork is known, and traces of his “rule” are scant.

Strangely enough, a relief showing the face of Pharaoh Arrhideus/Philip III has been discovered at the unusual double temple of  Kom Ombo dedicated to the god Sobek, the god of fertility, and the falcon god Haroeris. The archaeologists also found his name inscribed in hieroglyphs on an 83 x 55 cm slab.

Although the temple is resting on a much older structure, the remains we know today, with its twin entrances and symmetrical layout was, probably started by Ptolemy VI. The Ptolemys remained present over the centuries as we also find a fine relief of Ptolemy XII, the father of the famous Cleopatra VII.

Another trace of Arrhideus/Philip III is found in the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Besides a peristyle court of Thutmosis III, it contains a barque sanctuary filled with his granite naos. This could be the picture Olaf Kaper showed during his lecture in 2010 (see: Alexander the Great in Egypt. Lecture of 24 November 2010).

The island of Samothrace, finally, proudly displays a joint dedication of Arrhideus/Philip III and Alexander IV. It was part of a marble Doric building that carried the inscription “King Philip [and] Alexander to the Great Gods,” a confirmation that both the son of Alexander the Great and his half-brother “officially” ruled on equal terms (see: A Dedication of Philip III Arrhidaeus and Alexander IV).

[Top picture: Philip III as pharaoh in Karnak is from Wikipedia]

[Bottom picture: Sanctuary of Philip III from Egypt Museum]

Plans for an underwater museum in Alexandria

The idea is not new, for the first plans to build an underwater museum in the eastern harbor of Alexandria arose in 1996. Today, the project is being revived as Egypt dearly needs a fresh cash inflow from the badly hurt tourism industry.

Because of the repeated earthquakes over the centuries, part of Alexandria has sunken underwater, and archaeologists-divers have located remains of old palaces and temples in the bay of Abukir, some five meters below the water level. Turning this site into an underwater museum would not only attract visitors but most of all protect the valuable remains of antique Alexandria, which are presently threatened by pollution in the bay, poaching by illegal divers, and physical damage by fishing boats. It is evident that the political situation in Egypt over the last decades is not in favor of such a project and that substantial monetary contributions are needed.

In 2008, the French architect Jacques Rougerie submitted his concept to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, featuring a building on the shores of the Abukir Bay harbor that would connect with a submerged structure. Fiberglass tunnels would lead the visitor to the sea floor, where more than 2,500 objects from antiquity are still lying around. Just imagine walking in this huge aquarium-like space and admiring the grand collection of statues and other relics coming alive through the filtered sunlight. Among those remains are massive blocks, some half-buried in the sand, that belonged to the 130-meter-tall Pharos, the lighthouse that stood here till the 13^th century and was named among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The magic of an underwater museum will be to see these remains in situ, and that applies to what is believed to be the Palace of Cleopatra, as well as busts of Caesarion (her son with Caesar) and Ptolemy XII (her father). I still have hopes that one day, more of Alexander’s city will be brought to light!

The architect’s ambition goes beyond this underwater museum, envisioning an underwater archaeology school to be attached to the museum, enabling them to work while the visitors look on from their protective glass corridors! He estimates that the construction of such a museum would take more or less two years, not counting the time involved in surveying and planning.

It is not certain where the money would be coming from, and so far, private entities are willing to contribute, as well as Chinese corporations. The Chinese, as a matter of fact, have built their own underwater museum at Baiheliang in Fuling along the Yangtze River, which opened in 2009. Here, a concrete tunnel with portholes allows the visitors to catch a glimpse of the 5-foot-long relief of a fish and rare inscriptions used in measuring the river's level that dates from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was flooded after the construction of a nearby dam over the river. 

When or if the museum in Alexandria will ever materialize is another story, but it certainly would change the way we look at our underwater heritage because, for the first time, everybody will be able to see the artifacts and ruins, as until now only divers could. However, the leaders and the financiers of the project have not come together yet. 

[Pictures from Smithsonian Magazine]