Navigational aspects of calling to the Great Harbour of Alexandria

Alexander Belov (1)

1 CES RAS - Center for the Egyptological Studies

More than ten years of archaeological surveys of the Great Harbour of Alexandria have completely changed the conception of the ancient topography of the port area of the city. The remains of ancient port structures show the high level of port's organization and well correspond to the descriptions of ancient authors. This new archaeological data permits to consider general aspects of navigation within the Great Harbour. The most probable courses of the ships calling to the Great Harbour and leaving it under sail or oars have been considered while taking into account ancient sources, hydro-meteorological factors and the performance of the rigging of the time. An important role of the alignments for the navigation within the harbour is underlined and some possible reference points are proposed. In the absence of archaeological proofs some thoughts are developed on the probable disposition of the Navy and on the location of the shipsheds for the winter storage in greco-roman times.

Mots clés: ancient ports; ancient navigation; greco-roman Egypt; ancient Alexandria

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Alexander Belov. Navigational aspects of calling to the Great Harbour of Alexandria. 2014. ⟨halshs-00845524⟩