Ancient Alexandria

more on www.zigguraths.com Plunging into the waters off Alexandria Tuesday, divers explored the submerged ruins of a palace and temple complex from which Cleopatra ruled, swimming over heaps of limestone blocks hammered into the sea by earthquakes and tsunamis more than 1,600 years ago. The international team is painstakingly excavating one of the richest underwater archaeological sites in the world and retrieving stunning artifacts from the last dynasty to rule over ancient Egypt before the Roman Empire annexed it in 30 B.C. Using advanced technology, the team is surveying ancient Alexandria's Royal Quarters, encased deep below the harbor sediment, and confirming the accuracy of descriptions of the city left by Greek geographers and historians more than 2,000 years ago.

Georg Rosenbauer, MBA '63, explains why the Hilti Foundation helped fund Franck Goddio's underwater excavations of Egypt's lost cities, resulting in the Cleopatra exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Video/Ashley Kempher, Lisa Ventre Request UC photography and or video services: http://www.uc.edu/ucomm/photo_video/uc_photo_video.html

From its beginnings in 331 BC when it was founded by Alexander the Great, the city of Alexandria has played a leading role on the stage of history. Alexandria was at the crossroads of the ancient world and became its cultural and intellectual capital. All of our religions and philosophies, our science and arts, were transformed, disputed, and perfected here. But little of this ancient splendor has survived;its secrets lay buried beneath a modern metropolis -- until now. ALEXANDRIA: DISCOVERING A LOST EMPIRE, follows the marine archeology team of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Antiquities, organized by Ibrahim Darwich and French archeologist Frank Goddio, as they shine their lights into one of the most significant discoveries ever -- the love nest of the world's most powerful lovers, Antony and Cleopatra. Just a few yards offshore in less than twenty feet of water, they located a forest of giant granite columns and massive blocks inscribed in hieroglyphics indicating the ruins of the Royal quarters of the ruling Ptolomies, and relics of Cleopatra's palace. Join this new breed of archeologists as they use underwater diving equipment, satellite technology, and the Greek geographer Strabo's ancient book to piece together a fascinating picture of the great ancient city where Alexander the Great was buried, where Julius Caesar lived and loved, and where Marc Antony and Cleopatra met their fate. Computer graphics and models recreate the legendary Pharos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the world: as well as the Great Library and Museum complex where the world's leading scholars, including Euclid, Archimedes and Eratosthenes honed their theories. ALEXANDRIA offers a unique view of the rediscovery of a great city long filled with historical importance and epic drama. Filled with unparalleled images, ALEXANDRIA: DISCOVERING A LOST EMPIRE reveals long hidden secrets about a city shrouded in the mist of mystery and legend, and provides the audience with a special glimpse into the lives of history's most extraordinary people.