A 35-meter ancient Egyptian pleasure boat used by the elite for lavish river parties and religious processions has been discovered in the sunken royal quarter of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor. The vessel, dating to the early first century AD, is the first of its kind ever found in Egypt and closely matches a description written by the Greek geographer Strabo more than 2,000 years ago. Announced on 8 December 2025 by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), the wreck was located just 50 meters from the submerged ruins of the Temple of Isis on the former island of Antirhodos.
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Wreck Matches Ancient Eyewitness Account
Franck Goddio, founder of IEASM and leader of the expedition, said the boat’s design exactly mirrors Strabo’s account of luxurious cabin vessels used for royal excursions and public festivals. Writing around 25 BC, Strabo described “vessels luxuriously fitted out” on which “every day and night is crowded with people on the boats who play the flute and dance without restraint”.
The newly discovered craft has a flat bow, rounded stern and a large central pavilion – features that allowed it to navigate shallow canals while carrying high-ranking passengers in comfort.
“The bow is flat and the stern is round… to be able to navigate in very shallow water,” Goddio told The Guardian.
Life on the Nile during the flood, focus on a boat represented on the Nile mosaic of Palestrina. (Public Domain)
Possible Role in Isis Ceremonies
The archaeologists believe the boat may have taken part in the annual navigatio Iside procession, a major religious festival in which a decorated vessel represented the solar barque of the goddess Isis. Its proximity to the Temple of Isis on Antirhodos supports the theory, researchers note. Professor Damian Robinson, director of Oxford University’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology, described the find as “phenomenal”.
“It’s a type of ship that’s never been found before,” he said. “We can read about these cabin-boats in ancient texts and see them in art, but this is the first archaeological example.”
Greek graffiti on the central beam has been recorded but not yet translated.
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Preservation and Future Study
Following UNESCO guidelines for underwater cultural heritage, the wreck will remain on the seabed. Detailed photogrammetry and sonar mapping will continue next season.
The discovery adds to a string of major finds in the area, including the royal quarters of Antirhodos and, further east, the lost city of Thonis-Heracleion.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities hailed the find as further evidence of Alexandria’s importance as a center of Greco-Egyptian culture during the Roman period.
Top image: The boat’s well-preserved timbers had been lying only 7 meters underwater and 1.5 meters under the sediment. Source: Christoph Gerigk ©Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation
By Gary Manners
References
Alberge, D. 2025. Ancient Egyptian Pleasure Boat Found by Archaeologists Off Alexandria Coast. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/08/ancient-egyptian-pleasure-boat-found-archaeologists-alexandria-coast
Goddio, F. 2025. Discovery of a First-Century AD Thalamagos in Alexandria’s Eastern Harbour. European Institute for Underwater Archaeology. Available at: https://www.franckgoddio.org/projects/sunken-civilizations/alexandria.html
