Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A significant underwater archaeological discovery has been made at Ptolemais, a coastal city of ancient Cyrenaica in what is now northeastern Libya. Archaeologists have identified submerged shipwrecks, roads, and architectural elements such as columns lying beneath the sea.

Ancient City Of Ptolemais

Ptolemais was one of the largest ancient Greek cities in the region. It was founded by the Egyptian Ptolemaic kings, who controlled Cyrenaica in the late 4th or 3rd century BC, and the city continued to exist until the Arab conquest in the 7th century AD.

The ruins of a palace at Ptolemais, east of Benghazi (Libya). Credit: David Stanley – CC BY 2.0

Researchers from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw resumed work at the site in 2023 after a 13-year break caused by the Libyan civil war. Since returning, they have uncovered outbuildings belonging to an urban residence that featured an advanced drinking water collection system. They have also initiated new investigations on the local acropolis and expanded underwater exploration.

In the most recent research season, a team of underwater archaeologists and divers, led by Professor Bartosz Kontny, Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, focused on the city’s port area and adjacent waters, where they documented the newly discovered submerged structures and shipwrecks.

“Over the centuries, the level of the Mediterranean Sea has risen slightly, and earthquakes have also caused the coast to erode. As a result, part of the ancient port infrastructure is now underwater. We found ancient columns, traces of submerged roads, many dropped anchors, and probes used to explore the seabed in antiquity. We will be examining all of this in the coming seasons,” Professor Bartosz Kontny from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, who heads the underwater research at Ptolemais, told PAP.

The research was carried out near the port, in a very shallow rocky area. Nearby, at a depth of several meters, researchers identified an extensive line of archaeological material. This continuous spread of finds suggests that multiple ships sailing to Ptolemais from the east were wrecked in this location.

Professor Bartosz Kontny documents the remains of the port at Ptolemais. Credit: Artur Brzóska

The distribution of the remains, extending for more than 100 meters, indicates that the site does not represent a single shipwreck but rather several incidents over time. This pattern points to an area where maritime disasters likely occurred repeatedly, possibly due to hazardous coastal conditions.

According to the researcher, this zone offers significant potential as a starting point for long-term underwater investigations in Ptolemais, providing valuable insights into ancient navigation, trade routes, and shipbuilding practices.

Ancient Crystallized Wine

A valuable piece of Roman balance scales was found on one of the wrecked ships – an aequipodium in the form of a woman’s head, cast in bronze and filled with lead. No other weights were found at the site, but numerous amphorae and cargo elements were found at the bottom. “In one of these amphorae, we likely found crystallized wine. All of this is currently being analyzed, and we are awaiting the results of these analyses,” Professor Kontny said.

Dr. Anna Tomkowska, during the conservation of a painting depicting a man’s face. Credit: Piotr Jaworski

At the same time, on the Acropolis, a second team of archaeologists led by Dr. Szymon Lenarczyk uncovered a previously unknown road designed for vehicular transport. This route connected the interior directly to the very summit of the Acropolis, revealing new insights into how the site was accessed and used.

Dr. Szymon Lenarczyk’s team has discovered a new milestone. Credit: Szymon Lenarczyk

“The Acropolis is located on a highly elevated plateau, 300 meters above sea level. We could not have imagined that such an impressive road could have led there from the south. We also likely found traces of observation towers, which may have been remnants of the city’s defense system and served to provide early warning of threats,” Dr. Piotr Jaworski, head of research at Ptolemais, told PAP.

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Archaeologists working at Ptolemais have also uncovered a milestone, or pillar, along the newly discovered Roman road. Such markers were used in the Roman Empire to indicate individual sections or distances along major routes.

This particular milestone bears a Greek inscription dating to the Severan dynasty and is marked with the Greek numeral gamma (G). It is tentatively dated to the first half of the 3rd century AD, a period of prosperity for the city. Researchers believe additional milestones may still be found along the same road.

Source: Nauka w Polsce  (Science in Poland)

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer