Climate Change Threatens Alexandria’s Past

Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, functioned as a central trading hub of the Mediterranean world, facilitating trade across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Despite its strategic location at the crossroads of major sea and land routes and its reliance on the sea to fuel its maritime economy, Alexandria is slowly falling victim to the water. It is sinking.

As rising seas and coastal erosion threaten what remains, numerous excavations have sought to recover the history of Alexandria before it is too late. Archaeological finds include statues, pottery, coins, and even pieces of merchant ships that were carrying almonds and walnuts (LINK). These objects illuminate Alexandria’s political, religious, and commercial life. If Alexandria continues to submerge, significant portions of its undocumented history may be permanently lost.

It is truly astounding how archaeologists are able to uncover so much about the past through what is still left for them to observe in the present. They are essentially detectives of the past. Climate change is only making their jobs harder as their only evidence is slowly diminishing. Unlike actual detectives, historians are unable to acquire new evidence and must reconstruct the past using only surviving records and artifacts. If the remaining evidence gets destroyed due to climate change, future generations may have no way to fully understand how people lived before us.

Alexandria housed so much information, in fact, it was home to the Library of Alexandria–a library that aimed to acquire all the world’s knowledge and house it in a singular space. It is amazing that we are even aware that such a place existed. Though we were not able to set foot in the real library before it was destroyed due to political turmoil, archaeologists know for certain it existed through the discovery of ancient texts. It is quite possible that other treasures, perhaps as significant as the Library of Alexandria, were lost or remain undiscovered.

So, what is the cause of Alexandria’s gradual sinking? The truth is that no isolated incident is responsible for Alexandria’s demise, instead, it is a series of natural disasters that are slowly causing it to submerge. The most significant climatic event is sea levels rising. Though other factors, such as land subsidence and seawater intrusion, are also contributing to the problem. According to a study published in Earth’s Future, over the past two decades, the number of buildings collapsing each year in Alexandria has risen tenfold. The study further states that the buildings are collapsing from the bottom up as a rising water table weakens soil and erodes foundations.

Alexandria is a stark reminder that history is fragile. Each natural disaster permanently narrows our understanding of the past. While climate change may not rewrite history, if not addressed, it will certainly cause valuable historical evidence to disappear forever.