In 2000, archaeologist Franck Goddio studied the Nile River area and made a very important scientific discovery. It turned out that at the bottom of the Egyptian Gulf of Abu Qir were the remains of the enormous city of Heraklion, which had been left under water by the earthquake and tsunami that followed it. Since then, excavations have been underway in the region – just a couple of years ago, scientists reported that they had only examined 5% of the ancient city. But the work is ongoing, so archaeologists from time to time manage to discover very interesting structures and huge ships. For example, recently in the sunken city of Heraklion were found parts of an Egyptian ship and a Greek cemetery. In this article we will talk about these findings and once again remember the ancient city. After all, we have already talked about it, remember?
The ancient city of Heraklion
It is believed that the city of Heraklion got its name because it was once visited by Heracles, the son of the ancient Greek gods Zeus and Alkmena. During more than 20 years of excavations, scientists have found many pieces of pottery, coins and jewelry on its territory. On this basis, it has been suggested that Heraklion was once an important trading center of ancient Egypt. This went on until in 331 BC, when Alexandria was founded, which took all the wealth and importance to itself. Subsequently Heraklion was destroyed in an earthquake, and then it was under water because of the tsunami.
Archaeological work in Egypt
In 2021, the excavations of Heraklion are being carried out by Egyptian scientists led by Ehab Fahmy and French colleagues led by Franck Goddio. It is worth noting that Frank is the same person who found the remains of the city in 2000. According to the Egypt Independent, they recently managed to find a strange ship and an ancient cemetery. Let’s explore the known details?
An ancient Egyptian ship
An unusual ship was found under a 5-meter layer of clay deposits. Most likely, the scientists found it with the help of equipment using the method of echolocation. In simple terms, they emit sound waves toward the bottom and, if there is something there, pick up their reflections. The remains of the ship were hidden under the piles of a nearby temple. It is believed that the ship was more than 25 meters long, and that second-hand planks were used to build it.
Greek Cemetery
A cemetery where representatives of Ancient Greece were buried has been found in another part of the city. Scholars have found a large quantity of Greek pottery in the area. On this basis, it has been suggested that burials were usually accompanied by offerings of sacrificial objects.
The fact that many objects from Ancient Greece have been found on the territory of Heraklion is not surprising. Scientists believe that the Egyptians and Greeks lived there very amicably – they even built shrines to their gods sometimes not far from each other.
Undoubtedly, this is a very interesting discovery and we will continue to follow the findings of archaeologists. It is surprising that there are even submerged cities with a very rich history in Egypt. Excavations are underway and in the case of an interesting discovery, we will tell you about it for sure. And meanwhile you can read other articles on archaeology – for example, recently scientists managed to decipher the text of the “Book of the Dead”.
