Ancient pleasure boat found near palace ruins tied to history's most controversial queen

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In the press release, Goddio posited that the ship may have sunk during the destruction of the Temple of Isis in 50 AD.

Dr. Josef Wegner, Penn Museum curator who is based in Philadelphia, recently uncovered a groundbreaking discovery: an unknown pharaoh's tomb, dating back 3,600 years. (Credit: Josef Wegner for the Penn Museum)

Archaeologists recently discovered the remnants of an ancient Egyptian "pleasure boat" near the ruins of Cleopatra VII's lost palace in Alexandria's royal harbor.

The discovery was announced by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) earlier this month. The ruins were found in the great Portus Magnus of Alexandria, which is believed to hold the remnants of Cleopatra's palace complex.

Directed by French archaeologist Franck Goddio, the excavation team uncovered an ancient vessel called a thalamegos.

3,000-YEAR-OLD EGYPTIAN FORTRESS UNCOVERED ALONG ROUTE TIED TO BIBLICAL EXODUS

Thalamegoi were luxurious barges used for a variety of activities in Ancient Egypt, including feasting, religious ceremonies and leisure cruises.

The ship measures 115 feet long and 23 feet wide, with 92 feet of its structure preserved, the IEASM said.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a lavish Egyptian pleasure barge near Cleopatra VII's lost palace. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation; Shutterstock)

"Its construction type was to obtain a maximum breadth for the ship to accommodate a central pavilion," the organization noted.

"The particularity of the ship is the flat-bottomed hull with a hard chine at the bow and a rounded turn at the stern."

EXTRAORDINARY MASS GRAVES FROM CENTURIES-OLD BATTLES EMERGE ALONG HIGHWAY ROUTE

Archaeologists also found graffiti written in Greek, dating back to the first half of the first century A.D. — though what the graffiti says is a mystery. 

The graffiti is still under study, the IEASM told Fox News Digital, but it still "reinforce[s] the hypothesis that the ship was built in Alexandria."

The luxury boat had a wide hull design to accommodate a central pavilion for passengers. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

The boat "would have had a luxuriously decorated cabin and seems to have been propelled only by oars," the IEASM said.

In the press release, Goddio suggested the ship may have sunk during the destruction of the Temple of Isis in 50 A.D.

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Cleopatra, respected in Egypt but vilified in Roman accounts, promoted the cult of Isis during her reign.

"We might also suggest a ritual use for this barge," said Goddio. "It could have belonged to the sanctuary and [have been] part of the naval ceremony, [when the] procession celebrating Isis encountered a richly decorated vessel, the Navigium."

The newly discovered thalamegos vessel was used for rituals, leisure and feasting in ancient Alexandria. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

"This vessel was performing a yearly ritual voyage of the goddess from the Portus Magnus of Alexandria to the sanctuary of Osiris at Canopus alongside the Canopic Channel."

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Officials stressed that research into the wreck is "still at an early stage."

Even so, it offers a "fascinating journey into life, religion, luxury and pleasure on the waterways of early Roman Egypt."

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The discovery follows another Cleopatra-related find that was uncovered in 2025.

The discovery was made at a site believed to contain ruins of Cleopatra's palace. (Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

Egyptian archaeologists recently uncovered a hidden harbor at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, another temple connected to the ancient queen.

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The Temple of Taposiris Magna, dedicated to the Egyptian god Osiris, is roughly 30 miles west of Alexandria.