2,000-year-old party boat discovered off Alexandria found

People had plenty of fun in the past too: an ancient Egyptian pleasure boat matching a description by the Greek historian Strabo from the 1st century has been discovered off the coast of Alexandria, Euronews writes.

As noted, the vessel was 35 meters long and was designed to carry a central pavilion with a luxuriously appointed cabin.

The “party boat” was found off the now-submerged island of Antirhodos, which once formed part of the Portus Magnus (the great harbor) of Alexandria.

The Greek geographer, historian and philosopher Strabo (Latin: Strabo, c. 64 BC to AD 24) visited the Egyptian city around 29 to 25 BC and wrote about such boats: “These vessels are luxuriously fitted out and are used by the royal court for excursions; likewise by crowds of revelers who set off from Alexandria across the canal to the public festivals. For day and night alike, the boats are full of people playing the flute and dancing uninhibitedly and with great abandon.”

The excavations were carried out by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) under the direction of Franck Goddio, a visiting professor of maritime archaeology at the University of Oxford.

Goddio added that it was an exceptionally large boat, and may have required more than 20 rowers.

With its temples, palaces and the 130-metre-high Pharos lighthouse (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), Alexandria was once among the most magnificent cities of antiquity.