Rhacotis

Raqd.t (Alexandria) in hieroglyphs

Rhacotis, Egyptian (𓂋𓏤𓂝𓀨𓏏𓊖) Râ-Kedet, Greek Ῥακῶτις, was the original name of the city of Alexandria on the northern coast of Egypt, before it was renamed by Alexander the Great. Rhacotis, unlike the ports of the Nile Delta, was reliably accessible to large ships, and enough water for a city could be supplied by a canal.

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 existing small village of Rhacotis, then a fishing port, became the Egyptian quarter of the city.

Continuing maritime archaeology in the harbour of Alexandria, started in 1994, has revealed details of Rhacotis before the arrival of Alexander.

External links

• Sediments Reveal Alexandria's Hidden History, no longer available from Discovery Channel
• Researchers Find Evidence of Hidden City from Wired