Could This Be The New Atlantis? Archaeologists Discover New Egyptian Sunken City

By Annie N. in History On 1st October 2023
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In what sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie, French marine archaeologists have found what they presume to be the lost city of Heracleion which sank more than 1,000 years ago.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation
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Heracleion has been often compared to Atlantis from legend and myths but Frank Goddio, who discovered the place is witness to its existence.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation
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He managed to uncover several, artifacts from the sunken city including gold jewelry, a samovar shaped like a duck, and silver dishes.

A Djed which is an Egyptian hieroglyph symbol made of blue lapis lazuli was also discovered.

Heracleion was once the largest port on the Egyptian coast for centuries before Alexander the Great founded Alexandria in 331 BC.

Goddio, who first rediscovered Heracleion in 2000 was ‘moved’ by its discovery. He added that the artifacts he discovered ‘bear witness to the wealth of this sanctuary and the piety of the former inhabitants of the port city’.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation

It is speculated that it was in the 8th Century AD that Heracleion fell to ‘diverse natural catastrophes such as tsunamis, storms, and earthquakes which ultimately led to its sinking into the Mediterranean. 

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation
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A more recent excavation managed to uncover the south canal of the lost city where remains of a temple were discovered. The temple seemed to be dedicated to ‘Amun’ the God of air in Egyptian myth.

Goddio said, 'It is extremely moving to discover such delicate objects, which survived intact despite the violence and magnitude of the cataclysm.’

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation

Another sanctuary devoted to the Greek goddess Athena was discovered to the east of the Amun temple.

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 This contained bronze and ceramic items, including a samovar-looking pouring device dated to the 4th century BC.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation

This shows the ties that the city had to its Greek neighbors in terms of trade. Weapons uncovered from the location also pointed out the presence of Greek mercenaries.

Several artifacts from when it was first discovered 20 years ago were also displayed at the British Museum.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation

Since that initial discovery, new technology has made it possible for better detection of items that may be within deep cavities or buried under layers of several meters of thick clay.

Franck Goddio/HiltiFoundation

While it is exciting to compare the city to Atlantis, Heraclion has been well-documented and very much real as opposed to Atlantis which is speculated to have been made up entirely by Plato.