Alexandria’s Lighthouse Blocks Digitally Reconstructed

Quick Smiles:

• 22 massive granite blocks from the Lighthouse of Alexandria recovered from harbor.
• Researchers use 3D modeling to virtually reassemble the ancient wonder.
• Precise digital reconstructions hint at future immersive visitor experiences.

Researchers have retrieved 22 enormous granite blocks that once formed part of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, a marvel celebrated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

These pieces, including pillars, lintels, and frames, were photographed and added to a digital database, allowing scientists to study their intricate features in three dimensions with remarkable accuracy.

Ongoing excavations led by France’s CNRS and Egypt’s CEAlex have mapped thousands of remnants scattered across the harbor’s seabed, each carefully catalogued for study.

With advanced software, a team led by Isabelle Hairy can virtually reassemble the lighthouse block by block, using detailed 3D simulations to explore its construction and the earthquake forces that brought it down.

The lighthouse’s original grandeur is captured in historical accounts, including those of Ibn Jubayir, who wrote:

“It is most strongly built in all directions and competes with the skies in height. Description of it falls short, the eyes fail to comprehend it, and words are inadequate, so vast is the spectacle. We measured one of its four sides and found it to be more than fifty arms’ lengths. It is said that in height it is more than one hundred and fifty. Its interior is an awe-inspiring sight in its amplitude, with stairways and entrances and numerous apartments, so that he who penetrates and wanders through its passages may be lost. In short, words fail to find a conception of it.”

The blocks reveal a blend of Egyptian and Hellenistic artistry, and some stones may even predate the lighthouse by 2,000 years.

Due to preservation concerns, blocks over 220 pounds remain in the sea after documentation, as exposure risks damage from salt crystals as they dry.

This pioneering digital project opens the door to new ways of sharing the lighthouse’s history, including future possibilities like holographic projections above Alexandria’s harbor.

Discoveries like these illuminate the past and spark fresh excitement for ancient wonders. Stay tuned for more stories where history and innovation come together!

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