Heracleion, city submerged paradise for archaeologists

submerged city to archaeologists and divers paradise: so Heracleion, also known as Thonis, a city dating from the time of the pharaohs and incalculable archaeological value <. p>

From small have heard many times the story of Atlantis, a supposedly mythical island that was a maritime and military power until, according to the legends, disappeared in less “day and night” after a terrible earthquake. Today, those are just assumptions and legends, so while we wait to see if someday the myth becomes reality, we can enjoy Heracleion, a not so big and powerful city as is supposed to Atlantis, but it certainly is a paradise for both archaeologists and scholars of the Pharaohs, as divers for spectacular views.

The first thing to know is that Heracleion has nothing to do with Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Heracleion is approximately half the coastline of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, built on several deltas of the Nile and near Alexandria headquarters that was once the largest library world. Also known as Thonis by the ancient Egyptians, currently is two and a half kilometers of the coast and submerged 10 meters below sea level for over 1500 years has been hidden from the world, but we’ll get to that.

Let’s start with its origins. Heracleion well known to the ancient Greeks, is believed to date from XII century BC according to various historical references Communicated internally by canals, had, like his Naucratis sister named city, with a large number of maritime traffic enabled springs, so much so that in the last period of the Pharaohs became the main port of Egypt in tax collection and traffic international merchandise empire until he was replaced in his duties by Alexandria.

It is mentioned throughout history by many Greek historians as Diodorus and Strabo as well as various indirect references involved with historical figures such as Helen of Troy and Paris, causing what is known as the Trojan War began in the twelfth century BC, as it is believed that both were hidden there for a while fleeing the Spartan king Melenaus. It is mentioned in some obscure documents in passing, but usually go unnoticed by history and, indeed, after his disappearance enntre the second and third century AD, the experts discussed for a long time if Thonis and Heracleion were two different cities or similar, due to the lack of information

Finally, after a geophysical investigation of almost four years of the seabed in the Egyptian coast, Franck Goddio and his team from the European Institute of Underwater Research (IEASM) in 2000 made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the century. Ironically, Goddio and his team went in search of one of Napoleon’s ships sunk in that very thing during the Battle of the Nile in 1798 against Admiral Nelson of the British Army, but what they found in place exceeded even the wildest dreams of researchers.

And that to date have been discovered 65 remains Older ships and seven hundred anchors buried in the mud of the bay and researchers have had to go digging with care not to damage the remains, although anchors and other objects as gold coins, weights to measure from Athens, dedicated to religious worship and boards with inscriptions in both Egyptian and Greek objects were at An almost perfect condition. As a teacher of telling the Oxford University subsequently joined to the excavation: “The fact lie at the bottom of the bay untouched by human hands and protected by sand and mud during centuries has meant that the remains are spectacularly preserved. “