In ancient Egypt, at the mouth of the Nile, there was an important port city. 2500 years ago the city of Thonis-Herakleion functioned as the most important port on the Mediterranean of the vast Egyptian empire. However, due to natural disasters, it was flooded.
The city of Thonis-Herakleion was a large port on the Mediterranean
All maritime traffic ran through the port of this city, which was built in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. Chr. Reached their shine. Because of this, the exchange of goods that took place there made it a thriving city. When Alexandria was founded with the arrival of Alexander the Great, the city of Thonis took a back seat. However, it remained important for maritime trade.
Under Roman rule, it continued to be a great port for regional exchanges. Although between the 6th or 7th centuries AD, the waters buried the city due to some natural disasters. It sank into the sea and also into history. Herodotus, the Greek historian, mentioned it in the 5th century BC. When he mentioned a temple that was built in Thonis in honor of Hercules.
The city, submerged in the sea, was not forgotten until 2000 years later. It was in 2000 when an archaeologist from the depths found the remains of the Egyptian city. Francck Goddio was French and, together with a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archeology, found in the deep walls of an ancient temple.
Then the remains of the entire city, monuments, temples, apartments and other treasures appeared. Remnants that still show the grandeur of a city that was once the trading center of a millennial empire.
A city submerged in the sea
The city of Thonis is just over 6 kilometers from what is now Egypt’s coast, off the coast. Sunk in the Bay of Aboukir to an average depth of 10 meters. The researchers’ reconstruction shows that it was built around the great temple of the god Amun. A number of canals ran within the city. Houses and other temples and sanctuaries were built on the islets that were created.
The treasures they found were colossal pharaoh figurines, jewelry, gold and bronze items, coins and other items. They also found a ship graveyard on the site. There were 70 wooden boats destroyed. One of these boats was considered a myth of history and now it is known that it really existed.
The Bari was a cargo ship described by Herodotus, but the existence of which was never proven so it was considered part of a legend. It was a 28 meter long ship designed for navigation on the Nile and built in the 5th century BC. Was a gigantic ship.
Another impressive find was a black granite stele about two meters high with hieroglyphic inscriptions. According to archaeologists, it is older than the Rosetta Stone Champollion relied on to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs.
