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It was a legend. No trace of the city had ever been found, and it
appeared only in a few rare inscriptions and ancient texts. The city of
Thonis-Heracleion (known by both its Egyptian and Greek names) was not
something anyone was expecting to find, because no one was looking for
it. So it was something of a shock when in 2000 French archaeologist
Franck Goddio, looking for 18th-century French warships, saw a colossal face emerge from the watery shadows of the Alexandria bay.
Goddio had stumbled upon Thonis-Heracleion completely submerged 4
miles off the coast of Egypt. Among the underwater ruins were 64 ships,
700 anchors, a treasure trove of gold coins, 16-foot-tall statues, and,
most notably, the remains of a massive temple to Amun-Gereb, supreme god
of the ancient Egyptians.
The granite ruins and artifacts are remarkably well preserved. Built
around its grand temple, the city was likely criss-crossed with a
network of canals—a kind of ancient Egyptian Venice. Its islands were
home to small sanctuaries and homes and the city controlled the trade
into Egypt. Over 2,000 years ago, Thonis Heracleion was undoubtedly one
of the greatest port cities of the world. The question of how it ended
up on the floor of the Mediterranean remains unanswered.
More photos of the Lost City of Heracleion can be seen on Atlas Obscura.
Lost cities:
View The Lost City of Heracleion in a larger map
Labels: Archaeology
posted by Pieface @ 2:30 PM
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