The Egyptian archaeological mission in Alexandria succeeded in unearthing the debris of a residential and commercial suburb in Alexandria’s Shatbi.
Dated back to the Greco-Roman era, Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the importance of such discovery lies in reflecting the various activities that took place outside the Greco-Roman capital in Egypt.
He added that unearthed city presented rest spots for travelers, customs, and checkpoints for the imported goods.
Waziri added that early studies highlighted that the suburb consisted of a central street that connected various side streets which were connected with a sanitation system, revealing that the city may date back to 2 BC or 4 BC.
On his side, Dr. Ayman Ashmawi, the director of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said the mission unveiled several water wells that were carved into stones, more than 40 water storages for restoring rain and floodwaters, pottery, and statues.
Furthermore, a cabin that was dedicated to Athena, and Demeter goddesses as a number of statues depicted both goddesses found nearby the cabin, in addition, several small cooking ovens, pots, and crops containers were unearthed, according to Dr. Nadia Khedr, the head of Lower Egypt Antiquities Central Administration.
On his part, Dr. Khaled Abu Al Hamd, the general manager of Alexandria’s Antiquities district, said the studies asserted that the town had a central market that contained workshops, and stores for exchanging statues, pots, and containers.
He added that several frames used in shaping statues dedicated to gods, and fictional heroes were found, alongside a statue dedicated to a Roman hero. A huge number of pots, containers, amphora, artifacts, and 700 coins were unearthed.
In the same context, archaeologist Ibrahim Mostafa, the head of the archaeological mission, expressed that the unveiled antiquities proved the suburb’s importance as a trade spot, especially for fishers due to the presence of fishing-linked statues and gods.
He pointed out that the excavation work took place in the site for nine months, and it would be scanned by 3D technologies. After that, the unearthed artifacts will be transported for restoration.
Contributed by Rana Atef
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