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Egypt Independent
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a residential and commercial suburb dating back to the Greco-Roman era in the Shatby district of Alexandria on Thursday.
“The team found resting places for travellers and visitors to the city while they waited for entry permits. Preliminary surveys of the area show that it featured a main street perpendicular to small streets, all of which were connected to a sewage network. Archaeologists beleive the area was used for a long time, spanning the second and fourth centuries B.C.”, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa al-Waziry noted.
“The mission uncovered 40 carved water wells and a huge network of tunnel cisterns to store the water during dry seasons”, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Ayman Ashmawy, said.
Ashmawy pointed out, “inside the cisterns lay pottery, lamps, and some statues, which indicate the population density of the area”.
“Remains of a cabin were also found, which may have been dedicated to the goddesses Athena and Dimitra, who were the deities of hunting and fishing”. “The mission uncovered the remains of a room next to the cabin, which contained a number of small ovens which were used for burning sacrifices and cooking. Alongside the ovens were small urns for storing grain”, head of the Central Department of Antiquities of Lower Egypt, Nadia Khedr, revealed.
“Studies show that the area once featured a commercial market, which had workshops and shops to manufacture statues of deities, legendary heroes, emperors and celebrities”, Director General of Antiquities of Alexandria, Khaled Aboul Hamad, said.
The archaeological findings indicate that the area was closely involved with the city’s incoming trade, fishing, and the manufacture of tools.
“The statues found mostly resembled Alexander the Great, hunting deities, and mythical heroes. They indicate that most of the shops’ customers were hunters”, the mission’s head, Ibrahim Mostafa, confirmed.
The archaeological findings will be transferred to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ restoration laboratories for repair and re-assembling.
