The Lost City of Heracleion

The city of Heracleion was a port and trading center in ancient Egypt. Its antiquity can be stretched back to at least 12th century B.C.E. It sunk into the sea some 1200 years ago. Greek historians mentioned about this city.

It was far ago submerged in the waters off Egypt’s north coast for centuries. In 2000, a research team under Franck Goddio from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology uncovered the lost city of Heracleion. People also call it ‘Egyptian Atlantis’. Because people believe that it was a grand city in the pst that is now lost just like the imaginative island of Atlantis.

The Origin of The Name ‘Heracleion’

People believe that Legendary Hercules visited this city in the past. So, this city had been named after him. Hercules is believed to be a legendary Roman God and Hero.

The discovery

Researchers have been constantly surveyed in this region. Thus this discovery became possible. So, in the month of July 2019, they uncovered remains of a Greek temple and ships full of treasures. Researchers used a high-tech scanning device to uncover, map and excavate parts of the city, in 6.5 kilometers area of today’s coastline.

Astonishing Findings

Researchers made some astonishing findings during this present survey. The most remarkable ones are Bronze coins from the reign of King Ptolemy II, a statue of pharaoh Hapi, a huge black stele, ancient columns, 2000-year-old pottery, etc.

The other findings are colossal statues, inscriptions, architectural elements, jewelry, ritual objects, etc. All these simply indicate the richness of the material culture of this archaeological site. It was probably a grand city with huge architectural grandeur.

What Does the Excavation Reveal?

First of all, the excavation yielded a great number of antiquities. So, they will definitely be helpful in drawing a larger picture of that time. Researchers also examined the recovered objects. Their quality and quantity indicate that this city reached the peak point in terms of occupation and development during 6th – 4th-century B.C.E.

The decline of Heracleion

Heracleion had been a flourishing port city in ancient Egypt for a long time. but it did not last forever. It started witnessing back to back earthquakes and tsunamis. So, these natural hazards led to the collapse of this city. By 8th century C.E, the city was totally abandoned and sunk into the sea.