Global InformationHeptastadion information
 Map of ancient Alexandria, with the Heptastadion shown linking Pharos Island to the mainland. | |
  Map of Egypt showing the location of the Heptastadion. | |
| Location | Alexandria |
|---|---|
| Region | Egypt |
| Coordinates | 31°11′58″N 29°53′06″E / 31.19944°N 29.88500°E |
| Altitude | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Type | Mole |
| Part of | Alexandria Port |
| Length | 1,260 metres (4,130 ft) |
| History | |
| Builder | Ptolemy I |
| Founded | c. 300 BC |
| Cultures | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
| Events | Caesar's Civil War |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Buried |
The Heptastadion (Greek: Ὲπταστάδιον) was a giant causeway, often referred to as a mole[1] or a dyke built by the people of Alexandria, Egypt in the 3rd century BC during the Ptolemaic period.[2] The Heptastadion was created to link Pharos Island to the mainland coast and given a name based on its length (Heptastadion is Greek for "seven stadia"— hepta meaning seven, and a stadion being a Greek unit of length measuring approximately 180 m (590 ft)).[3] Overall it was more than three-quarters of a mile long.
- ^ Pearson, Birger Albert (2004). Gnosticism and Christianity in Roman and Coptic Egypt. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 104. ISBN 0-567-02610-8.
- ^ Khalid S. Al-Hagla. "Cultural Sustainability: An Asset of Cultural Tourism Industry" (PDF). International Cetre for Research on the Economics of Culture, Institutions, and Creativity (EBLA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-21.
- ^ Bertrand Millet; Goiran, Jean-Philippe (2007). "Impacts of Alexandria's Heptastadion on Coastal Hydro-Sedimentary Dynamics During the Hellenistic Period". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 36 (1): 167–176. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2006.00131.x. S2CID 56330738.