For long it was believed that Alexander the Great founded the ancient city of Alexandria in Egypt.
But now a study saysthat the Macedonian Emperor did not find it, but only rebranded it.
The city has been said to date back as many as many as 4500 years, a good two thousand years before Alexander’s time.
Alain Véron from the Paul Cézanne University in Aix-en-Provence, France along with his colleagues made the discovery after measuring the variations in lead concentration in a mud core from Alexandria's ancient harbour.
Carbon-dating seashells found in the core revealed that lead levels had changed with the passage of time, reports the NewScientist.
Studies have shown that lead contamination occurred between 2686 and 2181 BC and then again from 1000 to 800 BC. These peaks were associated with human activities such as plumbing, fishing, building and ship-building, which has been corroborated by ancient texts.
The text also mentions a settlement named Rhakotis.
Studies further revealed lead levels rocketed around 330 BC when Alexander the Great arrived, and got higher by the time of the Roman empire some 400 years later.
{{/usCountry}}Studies further revealed lead levels rocketed around 330 BC when Alexander the Great arrived, and got higher by the time of the Roman empire some 400 years later.
{{/usCountry}}Researchers believe that the variation in the lead level in the core will give further insight into the long-running debate over the founding of the city that is so far based on literary evidence.