An Egyptian archaeological expedition has discovered the remains of a Greco-Roman residential and commercial city near Alexandria on the north coast.
During excavations in the Al-Shatbi area, “the expedition discovered a large network of tunnel reservoirs, painted pink, to store rainwater, floodwaters and groundwater for use in times of drought,” said Mostafa Waziri, General Secretary of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
He added that studies show that the settlement was used from the second century B.C. to the fourth century A.D.
He said pottery pots and some statues were found in more than 40 wells and reservoirs, indicating a large population in the area near Alexandria, then the capital of Egypt in the Greco-Roman era.
Vaziri said that the expedition also discovered rest houses for travelers and visitors, where they waited for permission to enter the city, as well as houses used as tax collection centers.
He noted that preliminary investigations of the area discovered showed that “it consisted of a main street and several branches, all connected by a sewer network.”
Meanwhile, Khaled Abu Hamad, director general of the Alexandria Antiquities Authority, said that the city had a large market, pot stores and statue-making workshops.
He added that about 700 coins and utensils of various shapes were found in the discovered city, as well as a large number of fishing tools.
“It took nine months to excavate the old city,” Abu Hamad said, stressing the importance of the area in connecting east-west trade traffic.
