'Rhakotis', or 'Râ-Kedet', was the original name of the city of
Alexandria on the northern coast of
Egypt, before it was renamed by
Alexander the Great. New evidence suggests that Alexander was not the founder of the city of Alexandria but rather its renovator — the city is thought to have existed nearly two
millennia before it was conquered. Alexandria was planned by
Dinocrates, an experienced
Greek architect and city planner from
Rhodes, who modeled the new city after the
Hellenistic architectural style popular in the Greek world at the time. The newly designed infrastructure was so large that it absorbed the original fishing village, Rhakotis. This ancient settlement still sits at the center of Alexandria and is known as
Kom-El-Dikka.
Continuing
maritime archaeology in the harbour of Alexandria, started in 1994, has revealed details of Rhakotis before the arrival of Alexander.
External links
★
Sediments Reveal Alexandria's Hidden History from
Discovery Channel
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Fox News Online
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Researchers Find Evidence of Hidden City from
Wired