Alexandria and the Sea II

Continuity and Change from Ptolemaic to Roman Alexandria

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(OCMA Symposium 8)

25th-27th September 2025, Harris Manchester College, Oxford

Call for speakers

The Portus Magnus of Alexandria witnessed profound changes following the incorporation of Egypt into the Roman Empire, from shifts in the use and identification of temples, palaces, and public buildings to the enlargement of the infrastructure of maritime trade. The Portus Magnus highlights the centrality of the economy to the life of the port and its city.

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Alexandria and the Sea II will include a range of studies on the underwater excavations and material culture of the Portus Magnus by members of the Institut Européen d’Archéologie Sous-Marine (IEASM) and its research associates. We invite contributions from scholars working across the Ptolemaic to Roman transition in Alexandria and the wider Northwestern Delta in order to examine changes associated with:

  • the redevelopment of the city of Alexandria and its ports
  • the reorientation of maritime, riverine, and canal networks
  • marketplaces and economic networks
  • production and consumption in the city and its hinterland

Papers should be 20 minutes long with 10 minutes for questions

Alexandria and the Sea II will open with a plenary lecture by Franck Goddio, President of the IEASM, who has been surveying and excavating in the port since 1996, with the support of the Hilti Foundation.

The conference is organised by the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology with sponsorship from the Hilti Foundation. Travel and accommodation costs for speakers will be covered by the conference.

Please send a short abstract (250 words) to linda.hulin@arch.ox.ac.uk by 31st March 2025

Further information about the conference will be posted at

www.arch.ox.ac.uk/alexandria_and_the_sea2