Hollywood movies like Indiana Jones and The Tomb Raider have taught us that there are many mysteries hiding throughout the world just waiting to be found by an explorer. Well, what if we told you that someone actually managed to find a 1,200 years old Egyptian city that was hiding underwater?
As crazy as this story might be, it’s true and today we are going to show you everything you need to know about it.
After learning how to decipher the ancient Egyptian language, historians found many texts that talked about an ancient city of Heracleion. The interesting thing about this city is that there was no proof of it because it somehow disappeared off the face of the Earth.
The Quest for Heracleion
Even though this might sound like a myth or a legend, historians never gave up on the lost city of Heracleion.
They were determined to find it, especially since according to the texts, there are lots of treasures hidden all throughout the city.
Treasures In The Deep Water
Our story begins when Frank Goddio and his team of divers found a giant statue hidden underwater.
This made it clear to them that they were onto something big so they decided to keep diving even deeper.
A Dream Come True
Minutes after finding the first giant statue, Frank Goddio and his team found another one.
They couldn’t believe their eyes! They actually found the lost city of Heracleion.
The Real Indiana Jones
The explorer and his team found an ancient city that the world had forgotten about.
This makes him the real life version of Indiana Jones.
No Further Proof Needed
Frank Goddio and his team didn’t need anymore proof that they had found the lost city of Heracleion after looking at this massive statue of the God Hapi.
This is an incredible discovery and they are going to help uncover the real truth behind why the city was sunk beneath the waters.
Secrets of Heracleion
“The city is located within an overall research area of 11 by 15 kilometres in the western part of Aboukir Bay.
Franck Goddio has found important information on the ancient landmarks of Thonis-Heracleion, such as the grand temple of Amun and his son Khonsou (Herakles for the Greeks), the harbours that once controlled all trade into Egypt, and the daily life of its inhabitants,” said Frank Goddio.
Not An Easy Task
The explorers didn’t just want to look at the massive statues, they were determined to take them out of the water so that they can be analyzed.
As we can see in the picture featured above, taking out the statue and all the other artifacts were proving to be quite a difficult task.
Treasures Left Behind
What’s great about discovering the ancient city of Hereclion is the fact that it’s filled with hundreds of ancient artifacts just like the one which can be seen above.
From the looks of it, rich people ran away from the city as it was being sunk and they left all their gold behind.
Different Names, Same City
The most important thing about this discovery is the fact that it helps historians learn more about Greek and Egyptian culture.
A great example of this is the fact that historians learned that Heracleion and Thonis were actually the same city.
One For Greece, One For Egypt
“He has also solved a historic enigma that has puzzled Egyptologists over the years: the archaeological material has revealed that Heracleion and Thonis were, in fact, one and the same city with two names; Heracleion being the name of the city for the Greeks and Thonis for the Egyptians,” said Frank Goddi about the city.
The Wisdom Of The Ancients
While most of us might not think too much about this bronze oil lamp, it does reveal to historians that people who inhabited the lost city of Heracleion knew a thing or two about technology.
They used the oil in order to keep fire burning for long times in their homes and on the streets.
A City of Commerce
The reason why this lost city is filled with so many marvelous statues and gold trinkets is because it used to be a huge port where traders from all over the world gathered around to sell their products.
The Big Question
The question that everyone is asking about the lost city of Heracleion is what happened? How could such a massive city simply go down underwater without anyone knowing about it or writing down what happened?
The answer to this question is a massive earthquake.
The Linguistic Gold Plates
One of the most interesting things that the divers pulled out the lost city of Heracleion was this type of gold plates.
What makes these plates stand out so much is not the fact that they are made from gold, but that they feature Greek text on them.
It’s Just A Statue…Right?
Doesn’t this bronze statue of Osiris look terrifying? If Hollywood movies have taught us one thing, then it has to be that the divers should stay away from this statue since it might come life.
Luckily, that type of thing only happens in the movies.
Safe Made From Stones
The divers pulled out lots of carved stones that were filled with gold.
Historians believe that they were used as some kind of ancient “safe” were rich people would store their riches.
A Maritime Powerhouse
“The port of Thonis-Heracleion had numerous large basins and functioned as a hub of international trade. The intense activity in the port fostered the city’s prosperity.
More than seven hundred ancient anchors of various forms and over 70 wrecks dating from the 6th to the 2nd century BC are also an eloquent testimony to the intensity of maritime activity here,” said Frank Goddi.
A Film For The Lost City
We can only imagine what kind of treasures and priceless historical artifacts the explorers are going to take out of the water during the years to come.
We think it's safe to say that the story of the lost city of Heracleion could easily be made into a Hollywood movie.
Call to Curiosity
Finding the lost city of Heracleion is an incredible discovery and it’s surely going to help historians learn more about Egyptians and Greeks.
Nonetheless, let us know in the comments what you think about the discovery of this city.