It is a city shrouded in myth, swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea and buried in sand and mud for more than 1,200 years.
For centuries it was thought to be a legend, a city of extraordinary
wealth mentioned in Homer, visited by Helen of Troy and Paris, her
lover, but apparently buried under the sea.
In fact, Heracleion was true, and a decade after divers began uncovering its treasures, archaeologists have produced a picture of what life was like in the city in the era of the pharaohs.
The city, also called Thonis, disappeared beneath the Mediterranean around 1,200 years ago and was found during a survey of the Egyptian shore at the beginning of the last decade.
In fact, Heracleion was true, and a decade after divers began uncovering its treasures, archaeologists have produced a picture of what life was like in the city in the era of the pharaohs.
The city, also called Thonis, disappeared beneath the Mediterranean around 1,200 years ago and was found during a survey of the Egyptian shore at the beginning of the last decade.
Now its life at the heart of trade routes
in classical times are becoming clear, with researchers forming the
view that the city was the main customs hub through which all trade from
Greece and elsewhere in the Mediterranean entered Egypt.
But now archaeologists are unearthing the
mysteries of Heracleion, uncovering amazingly well-preserved artifacts
that tell the story of a vibrant classical-era port.
Known as Heracleion to the ancient Greeks and Thonis to the ancient Eygptians, the city was rediscovered in 2000 by French underwater archaeologist Dr. Franck Goddio and a team from the European Institute for Underwater Acheology (IEASM)
after a four-year geophysical survey. The ruins of the lost city were
found 30 feet under the surface of the Mediterranean Sea in Aboukir Bay,
near Alexandria.
A new documentary highlights the major discoveries that have been unearthed at Thonis-Heracleion during
a 13-year excavation. Exciting archaeological finds help describe an
ancient city that was not only a vital international trade hub but
possibly an important religious center. The television crew
used archaeological survey data to construct a computer model of the
city.
According to the Telegraph, leading research now suggests that Thonis-Heracleion served as a mandatory port of entry for trade between the Mediterranean and the Nile.
So far, 64 ancient shipwrecks and more
than 700 anchors have been unearthed from the mud of the bay, the news
outlet notes. Other findings include gold coins, weights from Athens
(which have never before been found at an Egyptian site) and giant
tablets inscribed in ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian. Researchers
think that these artifacts point to the city's prominence as a bustling
trade hub.
Researchers have also uncovered a variety
of religious artifacts in the sunken city, including 16-foot stone
sculptures thought to have adorned the city's central temple and
limestone sarcophagi that are believed to have contained mummified
animals. Giant 16 foot statues have been uncovered and brought to the
surface while archaeologists have found hundreds of smaller statues of
minor gods on the sea floor. Slabs of stone inscribed in both ancient
Greek and Ancient Egyptian have also been brought to the surface. Dozens
of small limestone sarcophagi were also recently uncovered by divers
and are believed to have once contained mummified animals, put there to
appease the gods.
For more photos, visit Goddio's Heracleion website.
Experts have marveled at the variety of artifacts found and have been equally impressed by how well preserved they are.
“The archaeological evidence is simply
overwhelming,” Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, a University of
Oxford archaeologist taking part in the excavation, said in a press
release obtained by The Huffington Post. “By lying untouched and
protected by sand on the sea floor for centuries they are brilliantly
preserved.”
A panel of experts presented their findings at an Oxford University conference on the Thonis-Heracleion excavation earlier this year.
But despite all the excitement over the
excavation, one mystery about Thonis-Heracleion remains largely
unsolved: Why exactly did it sink? Goddio's team suggests the weight of
large buildings on the region's water-logged clay and sand soil may
have caused the city to sink in the wake of an earthquake.
WATCH: Colossal Sunken Statues Of Thonis-Heracleion
