BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Rebuilding the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Digital revival of a lost wonder

Drawing by archaeologist Hermann Thiersch (c. 1909) of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Prof. Hermann Thiersch (1874–1939), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Lighthouse of Alexandria stood as one of the tallest manmade structures in the world for a millennium and a half, until it went out of operation following an earthquake in 1303 CE. Over the centuries since, all knowledge of this ancient world wonder was lost. Then, in 1995, a team of archaeologists discovered the remains of the lighthouse while diving in Alexandria’s eastern harbor. Now, a new team has launched a mission to rebuild the ancient lighthouse.

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Lighting in the Past

Constructed in the early third century BCE by Ptolemy I Soter (r. 305–282 BCE) for the enormous sum of 800 talents of silver, the Lighthouse of Alexandria instantly became one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It was the tallest manmade structure for centuries. The lighthouse was built with massive limestone and granite blocks and is estimated to have stood more than 330 feet tall.

Now, a French archaeological expedition is working to bring the lighthouse back to life. However, even though their project does involve lifting dozens of the lighthouse’s massive stone blocks from the harbor, don’t expect to see a physical lighthouse in Alexandria anytime soon. Instead, their reconstruction will be a virtual model, allowing visitors to explore the lost monument for themselves.

Raising a block from the sea. Courtesy GEDEON Programmes, CEAlex.

The first step of the project involved lifting 22 large stone slabs from the seafloor. Many of these stones belong to the structure’s monumental door jam and lintel, some weighing between 70 and 80 tons. For comparison, that is the equivalent of roughly 40 mid-sized SUVs. Once on dry land, the team will perform high-precision photogrammetric scans on each block. Along with scans of more than 100 blocks still underwater, these images will be imported into a virtual simulation where researchers can manipulate them like giant puzzle pieces. Using this, the researchers will be able to test hypotheses about the lighthouse’s construction and collapse.

Virtual reconstruction of the monumental doorway of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Courtesy GEDEON Programmes, CEAlex.

According to the research team’s press release, the Lighthouse of Alexandria “can be regarded as humanity’s first skyscraper. Its technical brilliance and architectural genius—emblems of the era’s scientific and artistic peak—allowed it to withstand time and history for over 1,600 years.”

The lighthouse was constructed on the small island of Pharos, which was incorporated into the harbor of the ancient city of Alexandria. Many descriptions and depictions of the lighthouse from antiquity have helped historians learn a great deal about its construction and history. Together with the famous Library of Alexandria, built around the same time, the lighthouse stood as a monument to the power, influence, and wealth of ancient Alexandria. The lighthouse finally went out of use in the early 14th century, although it had been damaged and refurbished numerous times by then. The remains of the lighthouse largely vanished in the late 15th century, when the sultan of Egypt reused part of the structure to build a fortress.

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The Ancient Library of Alexandria

Greco-Roman Tombs Uncovered in Alexandria

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The Ancient Library of Alexandria