Ancient pleasure boat found near palace ruins tied to history’s most controversial queen

Archaeologists recently discovered the remnants of anancient Egyptian “pleasure boat”near the ruins of Cleopatra VII’s lost palace in Alexandria’s royal harbor.

The discovery was announced by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) earlier this month.The ruins were found in the great Portus Magnus of Alexandria, which is believed to hold the remnants of Cleopatra’s palace complex.

Directed by French archaeologist Franck Goddio, theexcavation teamuncovered an ancient vessel called a thalamegos.

3,000-YEAR-OLD EGYPTIAN FORTRESS UNCOVERED ALONG ROUTE TIED TO BIBLICAL EXODUS

Thalamegoi were luxurious barges used for a variety of activities in Ancient Egypt, including feasting, religious ceremonies andleisure cruises.

The ship measures 115 feet long and 23 feet wide, with 92 feet of its structure preserved, the IEASM said.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a lavish Egyptian pleasure barge near Cleopatra VII’s lost palace.(Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation;Shutterstock)

Read More → Netanyahu and Rubio discuss US military intervention in Iran amid ongoing nationwide protests: report

“Its construction type was to obtain a maximum breadth for the ship to accommodate a central pavilion,” the organization noted.

“The particularity of the ship is the flat-bottomed hull with a hard chine at the bow and a rounded turn at the stern.”

EXTRAORDINARY MASS GRAVES FROM CENTURIES-OLD BATTLES EMERGE ALONG HIGHWAY ROUTE

Archaeologists also found graffiti written in Greek, dating back to the first half of the first century A.D.— though what the graffiti says is a mystery. 

�reinforce[s] the hypothesis that the ship was builtin Alexandria.”

Read More → Former MLB great Mark Teixeira makes stance on Minnesota ICE shooting clear

The luxury boat had a wide hull design to accommodate a central pavilion for passengers.(Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

Read More → Trump admin warns of ‘widescale doxxing’of ICE if House Dem’s new bill passes

The boat “would have had a luxuriously decorated cabin and seems to have beenpropelled only by oars,” the IEASM said.

In the press release, Goddio suggested the ship may have sunk during the destruction of the Temple of Isis in 50 A.D.

Read More → Why scammers open bank accounts in your name

part of the naval ceremony, [when the] procession celebrating Isis encountered a richly decorated vessel, the Navigium.”

The newly discovered thalamegos vessel was used for rituals, leisure and feasting in ancient Alexandria.(Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

“This vessel was performing a yearly ritual voyage of the goddess from the Portus Magnus of Alexandria to the sanctuary of Osiris at Canopus alongside the Canopic Channel.”

luxury and pleasureon the waterways of early Roman Egypt.”

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The discovery follows another Cleopatra-related find that was uncovered in 2025.

The discovery was made at a site believed to contain ruins of Cleopatra’s palace.(Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

Egyptian archaeologists recently uncovered ahidden harborat the Temple of Taposiris Magna, another temple connected to the ancient queen.

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

The Temple of Taposiris Magna, dedicated to the Egyptian god Osiris, is roughly 30 miles west of Alexandria.