Egypt's Alexandria holds int'l conference on underwater antiquities 

A three-day international conference on underwater archaeology started Monday in Egypt's Alexandria, a city famous for its rich underwater antiquities.

The Alexandria International Conference on Maritime and Underwater Archaeology, jointly held by the Library of Alexandria and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, is expected to discuss multiple topics including recent archaeological findings in Egypt and ancient shipbuilding.

"Alexandria and its surrounding waters host the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion, so this conference represents a quest for bringing back to life the glorious history of the city," said Dr. Ismail Serageldin, the director of the Library of Alexandria.

Among the 25 scientists and archaeologists attending the conference is the French archaeologist Franck Goddio, renowned as the discoverer of Thonis-Heracleion.

In 2000, Goddio's team discovered the submerged ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion, the main trading port for Egypt before the 4th century BC at the Abu Qir Bay, some 25 km northeast of the city center of Alexandria.

Since the discovery of the Hellenistic port city, waters off Alexandria have become an amphitheater of world's leading underwater archaeological missions and a test site for advanced underwater survey and mapping technologies. Endit