Ten Snapshots of Submerged Ancient Egyptian City, Heracleion, Worth Exploring
Straying into the murky depths of Egypt's past, the one-time metropolis of Heracleion emerges from obscurity, a captivating enigma no more. This submerged city, a vanished vestige of civilization, has been drenched in mystery for millennia – its existence forgotten, its secrets wrapped in the shroud of time.
Ancient texts alluded to the city, with esteemed historians like Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus leaving tantalizing references. Some believed it to be nothing more than a myth, while others saw it as a glorious city swallowed by the waves.
Heracleion, nicknamed the Egyptian Venice, was built on the unstable sands of the Nile Delta. It boasted grand harbors, magnificent temples, and a multitude of ferries, bridges, and pontoons connecting the city's districts. The city was a veritable trading hub and, by the late era of ancient Egypt, became the nation's primary port for commerce, taxation, and international trade.
The city's importance waned over time, eclipsed by Alexandria. It succumbed to the merciless embrace of the ocean, lost beneath the waves in the 2nd century BC, most likely due to a severe flood and succeeding soil liquefaction.
The city's legacy lingered in the annals of history, eventually fading into obscurity like the stories spun around the legendary city of Atlantis.
The city's existence remained a mere footnote, known only from a few ancient texts, until spirited Swashbuckler Franck Goddio came aboard the underwater archaeological adventure of a lifetime. In 1999, after a five-year pursuit, Goddio and his daring crew unveiled the sunken city, rescuing it from its watery grave.
Archaeological explorations have unearthed a plethora of findings suggesting that Heracleion was in its prime during the 6th to the 4th century BC. Goddio's discoveries include numerous artifacts such as pottery, coins, and incomplete statues of the god Serapis and the queen Arsinoe II. However, scholars estimate that only a minuscule portion of the city's totality has been examined.
The earliest remnants of Heracleion lie a mere 6.5 kilometers from the current coastline with divers and underwater archaeologists discovering no fewer than 64 ancient Egyptian vessels, many deliberately sunk. These vessels lay in the seabed's depth, preserved surprisingly well. Furthermore, an impressive assortment of 700 different types of anchors has been detected, potentially representing the world's most expansive nautical collection from the ancient world.
In 2010, archaeologists announced the discovery of an ancient Egyptian baris—a unique Nile boat—whose design echoed the vessel's description, as given by Herodotus 2,500 years before. The vessel's existence long had been considered a myth.
Yet, the unearthing journeys are far from complete; archaeological expeditions to uncover the diverse legacy of Heracleion continue. 2019 marked an exciting chapter when more findings came to light, including a diminutive Greek temple, ancient granite columns, treasure-laden ships, and bronze coins from the reign of Ptolemy II.
Heracleion's prominence was not only economic and political but also religious. The city hosted an important temple where Pharaohs received their divine authority from Amun. Excavations underwater have revealed a destroyed temple, believed to have been the city's central sanctum, now submerged off the Egyptian coast.
Despite being built in a geologically unstable region, Heracleion's submersion ironically ensured its preservation. The shifting sands of history buried the city, keeping it intact beneath the waves, ready for modern explorers to rediscover. Egypt is considering the development of a underwater museum in Abu Qir Bay to celebrate the legacy of Heracleion and its sister city Canopus. This museum would bear witness to the remarkable tales of this long-lost metropolis.
- Mysteries surrounding the ancient city of Heracleion, once a bustling trading hub and the primary port of ancient Egypt, have persisted for millennia as the city was lost beneath the waves in the 2nd century BC.
- The existence of the submerged city, now emerging from obscurity, was alluded to in ancient texts by esteemed historians like Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus, whose tantalizing references hinted at its grandeur and the city's possible mythical aspect.
- In the 21st century, our understanding of Heracleion has evolved significantly thanks to the discoveries made by underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, who, with his team, unearthed numerous artifacts, vessels, and even an ancient Egyptian baris—a unique Nile boat—previously considered a myth, shedding light on the home-and-garden lifestyle, religious significance, and travel network that thrived in this ancient metropolis.
