Bronze seal ring bearing Pharos lighthouse depiction discovered in Alexandria's harbor

Underwater excavations conducted jointly by the European Institute of Underwater Archaeology and Egypt's General Department of Underwater Archaeology in Alexandria's Eastern Harbor have uncovered a bronze seal ring featuring an engraved image of the ancient Pharos lighthouse. The discovery was made alongside pottery and glass artifacts during ongoing work at four archaeological sites in the region. The seal ring provides rare archaeological evidence of how the iconic lighthouse was depicted in antiquity.

Archaeologists working beneath Alexandria's waters have retrieved a bronze ring inscribed with imagery of one of the ancient world's most celebrated structures. The Pharos lighthouse, which stood as a towering landmark guiding Mediterranean vessels for centuries, is rarely documented in portable artifacts from its own era. This seal ring therefore offers scholars an uncommon window into how people of antiquity actually visualized the monument during its operational period.

The collaborative excavation represents ongoing efforts to systematically explore Alexandria's submerged archaeological zones. Beyond the seal ring, researchers recovered additional artifacts including pottery and glass fragments that help establish the chronological and cultural context of the harbor sites. Such underwater campaigns continue to reveal material evidence from Egypt's classical period.