Ancient Egyptian city named Heracleion or Thonis A Surprising Discovery

October 27, 2014

An Ancient Egyptian city named Heracleion or Thonis was unexpectedly discovered near Egypt’s modern coastline. It was a surprising discovery as the city was dismissed as a legend or folklore.

The significance of Heracleion has been demonstrated by the finding of 64 ships, which is the biggest numberof ancient vessels ever found in one spot. In addition to these ships, 700 anchors were found on the sea floor!

Among the other antiques found at the archaeological site, following are the photographs of a notable few:

Colossus of a Ptolemaic Queen

This is a 16 foot tall statue of a Ptolematic Queen found near the ruins of the temple. The statue is said to weigh about 4 tonnes.

Head of a Colossal Statue

This is another huge statue of the god Hapi. The statue is 18 feet tall and made up of granite and diorite. The unusual finding is that the integrity of these holy statues is quite maintained even after being underwater for so many years.

Frank Goddio, a French archaeologist, was in for a surprise when he went out to look for 18th century warships near the Alexandria coast. A huge statue face rising from the deep waters indicated that the archaeological team had gained more than what they had bargained for.

Colossal Red Granite

A lower portion of a grand red granite statue was also found here.

Bronze Oil Lamp

Amongst the other artifacts intact was an oil lamp made of bronze.

Intact and Inscribed Heracleion Stele

This Heracleion Stele resembles the Stele in the Egyptian museum in Cairo. The Stele was found mostly intact with the inscriptions undamaged by the weathering effect of water.

Gold Vessel Bronze Statuette of Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty

The remains of this 12th century BC city were found in Abu Qir Bay 6.5 km away from the main coastline. 15000 years ago, Heracleion was an affluent township tragically covered by water.

The archaeological team found 64 ships, 700 anchors and several statues that are over 16 feet tall in the sunken city. This proves that the city was an important port town for Egypt’s market. Among the artifacts found in the city’s ruins are the remains of a giant temple.

Heracleion was said to be a rich and flourishing city before it was covered by the ocean, nearly 1,500 years back.

Statue of a Pharaoh

The search yielded more than 300 small & big statues, artifacts, amulets and trinkets. The numbers of artifacts found indicate that the city’s sculptors made statues for local use as well as sold them to nearby regions.

Bronze Statue of Osiris

The Statue of the Goddess Isis

The astonishing discovery of Heracleion – Thonis has been a boon for the archaeologists. The resultant haul of the artifacts and statues will help them gain information on the religious and cultural beliefs of those times.