The temple to Poseidon in the Portus Magnus of Alexandria

Franck Goddio and his team from IEASM have been excavating and surveying underwater in Alexandria in Egypt since 1992, creating a map of the ancient port. The existence of a temple to Poseidon was mentioned by Strabo in his description of the Portus Magnus of Alexandria, and IEASM divers have found remains of a large building: limestone ashlars masonry, pink granite blocks, fragments of pink granite columns of different diameters and imposing mortar blocks are scattered on an area of over 3,000 square meters. Archaeological excavation combined with underwater 3-D stereophotogrammetric coverage have revealed that these belong to a vast temple and corresponds well with Strabo’s account of its location. The temple to Poseidon was set within a large religious complex, created to reflect the grandeur and power of the Ptolemaic kings and queens.