Bronze ring found in Alexandria's sunken harbour carries first known seal image of lighthouse
A bronze ring pulled from the sea off Alexandria in Egypt carries a tiny carving never seen before: the city's famed lighthouse.
The signet ring — a finger ring used to press a personal seal into wax or clay — was found on the submerged Royal Island of Antirhodos, according to The Art Newspaper. It depicts the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It is the only example of its kind known to exist.
Antirhodos was once the royal quarters around Alexandria's Portus Magnus, the Great Harbour. The island now lies underwater.
The ring was recovered during underwater excavations by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) under the direction of Franck Goddio. The mission is supported by the Hilti Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Egypt's ministry for tourism and antiquities.
That ministry said it is the first time a picture of the lighthouse has been found engraved on a seal ring. The ministry added that the shape of the engraving matches images of the lighthouse known from some coins dating to the second century AD.
Sherif Fathi, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiquities, inspected the excavation work on Antirhodos. Details of the find were also reported in a newsletter item on Goddio's official website titled "New find in the eastern port of Alexandria."
The ring was not the only material from the dig. The excavation also uncovered pottery and glass artefacts dating from the fourth century BC to the fourth century AD. Architectural remains have been revealed across an area of several thousand square metres.
What makes this stand out is scale. The lighthouse was huge. This version fits on a finger. Someone wore it, sealed with it, then lost it in a royal harbour. It survived.
