Quseir al-Qadim — Southern Roman Anchorage Extension
Quseir al-Qadim South · Leukos Limen southern basin · Quseir Roman south mole
Ptolemaic to Islamic (280 BCE – 1400 CE)·Ptolemaic / Roman / Ayyubid·🇪🇬 Red Sea Governorate, Quseir al-Qadim, 8 km north of modern Quseir, Egypt
About
About Quseir al-Qadim — Southern Roman Anchorage Extension
Southern extension of Quseir al-Qadim harbour (identifiably Myos Hormos since Peacock-Blue 1999–2003 reattribution), where second anchorage basin south of main Roman concrete mole preserves submerged limestone quay, fall-front amphora dump and coral-rag Islamic Ayyubid jetty at 0.3–1.2 m under beach. Main mole reflects Flavian Roman mole rebuilding after Ptolemaic silt; southern basin handled 11th–14th c. Ayyubid pepper ships to Jeddah. Southampton excavations mapped twin-basins. Distinct from core Myos Hormos central mole already in DB by focusing on southern Ayyubid-Roman basin.
Why it mattersTwin-basin model solves Myos Hormos vs Leukos Limen debate — southern basin is Islamic Quseir while northern is Roman Myos Hormos; concrete provenance links to Puteoli pozzolana trade.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Which basin is Ptolemaic vs Roman vs Ayyubid
- 02Mole pozzolana source — Italian or local?
Theories
- 01Silt pulse under Domitian moved harbour south by 120 m
- 02Ayyubid jetty reused Roman concrete core
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.280 BCE Ptolemy II; Roman mole Flavian c.80 CE
- Period
- Ptolemaic to Islamic (280 BCE – 1400 CE)
- Culture
- Ptolemaic / Roman / Ayyubid
- Purpose
- Roman Myos Hormos and Islamic Quseir pepper harbour to Hejaz
- Abandoned
- c.1400 CE (Portuguese disruption, siltation)
- Rediscovered
- 1980s Whitcomb-Johnson; 1999–2003 Southampton Peacock-Blue
- Excavation
- Submerged
c.280 BCE
Ptolemaic foundation at Quseir Bay
c.80 CE
Flavian Roman mole rebuild — main harbour deepened
11th–14th c.
Ayyubid Quseir southern basin Islamic pepper export to Jeddah
On the ground
Structures & features
26.1000° N · 34.2850° E · -1 m · 3 mapped features
Main Roman Pozzolana Mole (north)
moleFlavian concrete mole core with pozzolana, still at shoreline
26.1010° N · 34.2840° ESouthern Anchorage Basin and Islamic Jetty
harbourSouthern basin 0.3–1.2 m with coral-rag Ayyubid jetty
26.0990° N · 34.2860° EAmphora Fall-Front Dump
scatterDense amphora dump with 80% Laodike wine jars
26.1005° N · 34.2850° E