Posted on 10/27/2009 8:23:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. The city sits on the Mediterranean coast at the western edge of the Nile delta. Its location made it a major port city in ancient times; it was also famous for its lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and its library, the largest in the ancient world.
But in the past few years, scientists have found fragments of ceramics and traces of lead in sediments in the area that predate Alexander's arrival by several hundred years, suggesting there was already a settlement in the area (though one far smaller than what Alexandria became).
Christopher Bernhardt of the U.S. Geological Survey and his colleagues took sediment cores (long cylindrical pieces of sediment drilled from the ground) that featured layers going as far back as nearly 8,000 years ago as part of a larger climate study of the area.
In these sediment layers, Bernhardt and his colleagues took samples of embedded ancient pollen grains to look for shifts from primarily native plants to those associated with agriculture. They also analyzed levels of microscopic charcoal, whose presence can indicate human fires.
At a mark of 3,000 years ago, Bernhardt's team detected a shift in pollen grains from native grasses and other plants to those from cereal grains, grapes and weeds associated with agriculture.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
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File under “duh.” It was called Rhakotis. This isn’t exactly new information.
...oh, that's right. She already *has* sideburns.
Cheers!
I’d have been very surprised if there wasn’t some sort of fishing village minor port at such a prime location. Honestly, archeologists ought to think in terms of real estate and/or economics a little.
Upon further reflection, I’d say the article probably reflects the writer’s surprise as opposed to the archeologist who was probably just flacking his fieldwork. I probably shouldn’t have shot from the hip at the archeologist.
...no kidding.
Since a chunk of the city slid right into the Med, I’m a little mystified how it could be proven, but I’ve always been a little impressed with the (unrelated culture) the Sumerian belief that humans didn’t found cities.
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