Sunken royal palace with Cleopatra link yields rare find tied to long-lost wonder of ancient world

Bronze Ring from Alexandria’s Lost Harbor Reveals Ancient Lighthouse as City’s Emblem

A team of European underwater archaeologists has unearthed a small bronze signet ring in the submerged royal harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. The artifact, which bears a faint engraving of the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, is the first known seal ring to depict the ancient wonder and offers new clues to how the landmark became a symbol of the city.

The ring was recovered from the submerged island of Antirhodos, a former royal quarter that housed Cleopatra VII, Mark Antony and Julius Caesar. The island, now a patch of coral‑laden ruins, was part of the harbor that served the Ptolemaic and later Roman empires. The find was announced by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (EIAU) on October 7, the same day the Institute released a video of the dig.

Franck Goddio, the Institute’s president and chief archaeologist, said the context of the discovery adds weight to its significance. “The discovery of the ring‑signet is even more important as it has been excavated in the legendary palace of the Island of Antirhodos, that once was a center of power,” Goddio wrote in a press release. “It provides a tangible link between the political heart of ancient Alexandria and the lighthouse that guided its ships.”

The ring itself is small and weathered, with a rough gold‑colored surface and a faint, incised image of a tower that matches the classic silhouette of the lighthouse. Its iconography is similar to that found on some 2nd‑century‑AD coins, though the exact date of the ring is still under study. Scholars note that the lighthouse, built in the 3rd century B.C., guided traders and armies for centuries until a series of earthquakes gradually toppled it. The last of its stones fell into the sea around the 14th century C.E.

“Everything has to be found, recorded and lifted by divers,” said Alexandra F. Morris, an ancient history lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast who was consulted on the dig. “The work is painstaking, but every piece helps us reconstruct the lost world.” She added that the palace where the ring was found may have served as administrative offices that oversaw the lighthouse’s operations. “This could be a representation of that,” Morris explained, pointing to the possible administrative role the lighthouse played in Alexandria’s maritime trade.

Morris also highlighted the ring’s broader cultural resonance. “This lighthouse has now been shrunk down to sit on someone’s finger and used to sign official paperwork,” she said. “It’s basically showing that the lighthouse became the symbol of Alexandria, long after it was built.” She believes the artifact could help bring the submerged city’s heritage to life for a wider audience. “I think this ring is really interesting because it provides us potentially with something through replicas or models that people can actually hold,” Morris said. “It’s kind of a perfect object for touch‑based displays, including for blind and low‑vision visitors or people interested in the site.”

The EIAU’s underwater excavation, which has been ongoing for months, involved careful removal of sediment, cataloguing of artifacts, and the use of high‑resolution imaging to preserve the delicate surface of the ring. The team plans to conduct further analysis to determine the metal composition and to refine the dating of the find.

The discovery underscores Alexandria’s enduring legacy as a crossroads of commerce, culture, and innovation. While the lighthouse itself is no longer standing, the ring’s presence on a seal suggests that its image was integral to the city’s identity—a symbol of safety and authority that was stamped onto documents, possibly even decrees and trade contracts, long after the tower had fallen.

For now, the bronze ring lies in a climate‑controlled vault at the Institute’s research center in France, awaiting the next phase of study. Its story will be shared in forthcoming publications and exhibits, and the team hopes to create a replica that will allow visitors—both sighted and visually impaired—to experience a tangible piece of Alexandria’s submerged past.