For centuries, the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion was thought to be a myth. But in 1999, a team of divers led by Franck Goddio made a remarkable discovery: the ruins of the city, lying at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The city was once a major trading hub and religious center, and its rediscovery has shed new light on ancient Egyptian history. The divers have found a wealth of artifacts, including statues, temples, and coins, that offer a glimpse into the city’s once-thriving culture. The discovery of Thonis-Heracleion is a reminder that history is full of surprises and that there is still much we don’t know about the ancient world.
The Ancient Tale of Thonis-Heracleion
According to the legends, the city of Thonis-Heracleion was spread across several islands somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, and it thrived from around 800 BC to 200 AD. When ancient historians wrote about the city, they described it as one of the greatest of its time and that it served as the main port and religious center for the entire Egyptian Empire.
According to the legend, the city was established by the Ptolemaic pharaohs, a dynasty that was unique because its pharaohs were actually Greek rather than Egyptian.
A Thriving Capital
The city was rumored to house great temples, a palace, and warehouses full of gold and grain. The city had the largest port in Egypt and was one of the largest in the ancient world. Every ship that traveled to and from Egypt had to pass through Thonis-Heracleion’s port. Similar to modern-day Venice, the city had no streets, and instead, traffic flowed along canals.
With its diverse population, playhouses, and libraries, Egypt’s lost capital was a rich cultural center.
Religious Center of the Ancient World
As the site of the largest temple to Herakles (who was the supreme god of Egypt at the time), the city became a place for many religious pilgrimages. People would flock to the site from all over.
According to the historian Herodotus, the temple of Herakles was so large that its white marble structure could be seen from miles away. It was also said to be filled with golden statues and tributes.
Tax Haven
As Egypt’s main port and capital, the city was where all the treasures and taxes of the kingdom were stored. Large sums of money were made in the city’s port and marketplace as grain and goods were sold off to merchants from across the sea. Its great temples were full of golden statues and idols, and the priests in these temples collected coins from pilgrims who visited. In Osiris’s Sanctuary, there had been the gold-laden processional boat that represented the gods’ daily journey to restore the new day. Soon, a massive vault was constructed where Egypt’s taxes could be guarded and stored.
When the city disappeared, all of these riches disappeared with it. According to a stele found not far from Luxor, when the city disappeared, the Pharaoh of Egypt ordered men to dive and search for the city, but nothing was ever found.
Natural disaster
According to the legend, the city and its many islands all disappeared one night when earthquakes rocked the surrounding areas, and floods swallowed the tiny islands.
Although some people managed to escape to the mainland, thousands of the city’s people drowned. When the sun rose the next morning, the city had completely disappeared, never to be seen until millennia later.
Seen from above
Miraculously, one day in 1933, an RAF pilot flew over Egypt’s coastline and saw what looked like man-made structures beneath the waves. He reported his find to his superiors, and when Egyptologists heard about the discovery, they wondered if it could be the site of the lost city.
No other Egyptian city had ever been lost that far out to sea, so quickly people realized the legend must be true. No one had ever thought to look for the city in the middle of the ocean!
Denied Access
Despite the city being seen from the sky, no one could get permission to dive down and explore the site. Constantly, archeologists were denied permits by the government, and people’s interest in the area was beginning to get noticed.
All the while, thieves and treasure seekers would secretly search for the site in an effort to steal any treasure. It was only a matter of time until these thieves found the city’s underwater location and ransacked it.
Determined to Save History
While many explorers gave up when they were denied access, one brave French/Italian archeologist was determined to save the site and its historical secrets. That man was Franck Goddio, a world-famous marine archeologist who had previously discovered the wreck sites of Napoleans’s lost fleet.
Unlike the treasure hunters who wanted to rob the site to make themselves rich, Frank believed that the history of the site belonged to everyone and should be in a museum. Even though he knew it would be difficult, he worked tirelessly to access the site.
Assembling a Team
Frank spent years trying to raise the funding for a dive to the site. he approached many different institutes, but no one was willing to help pay for his explorations. As the years passed, eventually, he had enough funds to launch an expedition to dive into the site where the wreck of the city had been seen.
Desperate to have a team he could trust, Frank had to keep his mission a complete secret and only asked his closest colleagues to join his team. If anyone had discovered what Frank was searching for, the treasure and history of the city would have disappeared before he got there. It was a race against time, and now all Frank needed was permission to dive to the site.
Using science to find the legend
Finally, in 1992, a whopping 59 years after the site was first seen from above, the Egyptian government gave permission to Frank and his team to scan the seafloor and search for the missing city. Because of the poor diving conditions and the dark, murky water of the bay, the search was very difficult.
After weeks of searching for the exact site of the ruins, the site was finally found in the bay of Abu Qir near Alexandria about 2.5 km off the coast, beneath 10 m of water and sand.
Mapping the city
Once the city’s exact location had been found, the French dive team decided that before diving to the site, it would be best to map the whole site before removing any artifacts. That way, Frank and his team could save as much information about the city for future generations.
Using sonar, the dive team carefully mapped the entire site, and only then could they go down to explore what they had found deep beneath the waves. Hopefully, all the treasure was still there. Once a full map of the site had been compiled, it was now time for Frank to dive to the seafloor.
French Explorers find the first glimpses
All of Frank’s hard work had paid off, and he was finally going to see the lost city of Thonis-Heracleion. As Frank and his trusty team descended to the depths of the bay, there, peering out of the inky blackness of the ocean floor, was a giant statue of the god Heracles.
The statue was the size of a tractor-trailer, and Frank could not believe his eyes.
The Lost City is found
As the dive team fanned out and searched the site, they realized that no one else had been down there in a very long time, and Frank had managed to beat the robbers to the site. There, in front of the team, a whole sunken city stood as if no time had gone by. There were statues, columns, and walls still standing, and the divers could clearly see the shape of the streets and canals.
Massive columns and granite stones lay in what once was the temple complex as well as statues of various gods, pharaohs and their queens.
Giant Ruins
The divers were shocked by the huge size of the pieces they saw. Never before had people seen statues this large standing on their own and not carved into the side of a mountain. The columns were so long and wide that the divers felt tiny as they explored the site.
As they looked at the ruins, it was clear that the construction of the temple complex was like nothing Egyptologists had ever seen before. Off in the distance, Frank spotted something that made his heart skip a beat.
A written account
In the center of what was once a town square stood a giant stone stele that was inscribed with both Greek and ancient hieroglyphs. There is a very good reason why historians and archaeologists are excited by the stele; you see, these giant stone tablets are a written description of life in the city.
Functioning as the ancient version of a Wikipedia page, these steles allow us to learn about how the ancients lived and worked.
Gleaming Gold
While exploring the ruins of the buildings, the divers quickly began to find more and more gold. Everywhere they looked, they found gold dishes and goblets that were once used by the people of the city.
Around the temple, they found gold tablets and gold plaques that had both Greek and Egyptian writing on them. They also found jewelry, gold bricks and adornments all made of gold and in many places, they found piles of gold coins that had most likely been stored in baskets.
An ancient maritime secret
To their surprise, the dive team also found parts of an ancient wooden vessel that had survived for thousands of years. Instead of the wood being broken down in the ocean, the wooden hull had managed to survive in the water. The ship had been laden with gold and religious idols that suggested that the boat was special and not just your average Egyptian trade vessel. Even more exciting, the ship was made in a way that had never been seen before.
Frank knew this ship was special, and it showed that the ancient Egyptians had much more advanced shipbuilding techniques than we had first thought.
Surviving below the ocean
Most of the shipwrecks that archaeologists have found from this time period are easily identifiable because the wooded hulls have disappeared with time, and all that remains is the cargo that is neatly piled on the ocean floor but when scientists discovered this wreck, the wooden hull was still there. After a long investigation, it was discovered that this boat was the great ceremonial boat of Osiris that the historians had spoken of!
The boat had survived thousands of years because it had been covered in sap, lacquer, and gold detail that had protected it.
Unusual Construction
No Egyptian boat of this shape and style had ever been found before, and it didn’t match the pictures of everyday Egyptian boats that were used to travel along the Nile. Instead, this ship was considerably larger and measured up to 92 feet long. The boards were not nailed together but instead fit perfectly without any nails, rope, or glue.
This advanced shipbuilding technique allowed these ships to travel long ocean voyages and may be proof that the Egyptians traveled well beyond the Mediterranean.
Historical Significance
The discovery of the city proves once and for all that the city is more than a myth. While most treasure hunters would be over the moon to find this much gold, for the historians and archaeologists, the real treasure was what they were able to learn from the lost city.
Every summer since 2000, the Franks dive team has made a dive to explore more of the site. So far, they have merely explored 5 % of the entire sunken city and will no doubt continue to make discoveries that change history as we know it. Thanks to Frank’s efforts, the site was saved before looters found it and sold all the historical pieces on the black market.
Knowing the Causes of Cities Sinking Into the Sea
The sinking of Heracleion is a reminder that the Earth is constantly changing and that even the most powerful cities are not immune to the forces of nature.
The discovery of Heracleion has helped scientists better understand the causes of coastal erosion and sea level rise, which are significant threats to coastal communities worldwide. The sinking of Heracleion is a cautionary tale about the importance of sustainable development and coastal protection.
Egypt’s Lost Worlds Exhibits
The Egypt’s Lost Worlds exhibits have brought the wonders of Heracleion to the world and have inspired a new generation of archaeologists and historians.
The exhibits have also helped to raise awareness of the importance of underwater archaeology and have inspired new efforts to protect and preserve underwater cultural heritage. The Egypt’s Lost Worlds exhibits are a testament to the power of discovery and the importance of preserving our shared heritage.
The Discovery of Heracleion Has Shed New Light on Egypt’s Ancient History
The city was once a central trading hub and religious center, and its rediscovery has helped to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of this period.
For example, archaeologists have found evidence that Heracleion was a significant center for the worship of the god Poseidon. They have also found evidence that the city was a major trading hub, with goods from all over the Mediterranean world being traded there. The discovery of Heracleion has helped us better understand the ancient world and inspired new research into this period.
The Artifacts Found Provide a Glimpse Into the Everyday Life of the Ancient Egyptians
These artifacts include statues, jewelry, coins, and pottery, and they offer a fascinating glimpse into the past.
For example, archaeologists have found a statue of the god Poseidon over 10 feet tall. They have also found jewelry made of gold and silver and coins that date back to the 7th century BC. The artifacts found at Heracleion are a priceless treasure trove of information about the ancient Egyptians, and they continue to provide new insights into this fascinating civilization.
There Is Still Much We Don’t Know About the Ancient World
The city is still only partially excavated, and there is no doubt that more amazing discoveries await. For example, archaeologists believe that there may be a temple dedicated to the god Amun-Re buried beneath the sands of Heracleion.
They also hope to find more evidence of the city’s trading activities. The discovery of Heracleion is a reminder that the ancient world is full of secrets and that there is still much we have to learn about it.
The excavation of Heracleion is challenging, but it is also rewarding
The archaeologists working at the site are dedicated to uncovering the city’s secrets and making significant progress. They have to contend with strong currents, poor visibility, and the risk of decompression sickness.
However, they are determined to uncover the secrets of Heracleion and are making steady progress. The excavation of Heracleion is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of archaeologists, and it is a reminder that the search for knowledge is never easy, but it is always rewarding.