MADRID: Some 500 treasures of ancient Egypt retrieved by divers from under the sea are to go on display in Madrid from Wednesday, in a special space in the city s former slaughterhouse, the organizers announced.
Egypt s Sunken Treasures exhibition has already been shown in Berlin, Paris and Bonn.
It retraces 15 centuries of history, from the eight century BC to the eighth century AD, and testifies to the mix of civilizations, French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio, who led the team that recovered the artifacts, told a news conference in Madrid.
The treasures will be on display in a special 4,000-square-metre (43,000-square-foot) area in the city s former slaughterhouse, said Alicia Moreno, in charge of culture in Madrid s city hall.
The artifacts are from the legendary lost cities of Herakleion and Canopus, and a submerged part of the port of Alexandria.
They disappeared in the eighth century AD when the cities were submerged by an earthquake or other natural disaster, sinking to the seabed near Alexandria.
Spending thousands of hours under water, the French-led team of archeological divers brought to the surface gold jewellery, coins, heads of sphinxes and the biggest statue of Hapy, the god of the Nile, ever found in Egypt.
The exhibition runs until Sept. 28. -AFP
