Lost Egyptian City Found Underneath Sea After 1,200 Years

[CowboyMcCoy]

It is a city shrouded in myth, swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea and buried in sand and mud for more than 1,200 years. But now archeologists are unearthing the mysteries of Heracleion, uncovering amazingly well-preserved artifacts that tell the story of a vibrant classical-era port.

Known as Heracleion to the ancient Greeks and Thonis to the ancient Eygptians, the city was rediscovered in 2000 by French underwater archaeologist Dr. Franck Goddio and a team from the European Institute for Underwater Acheology (IEASM) after a four-year geophysical survey. The ruins of the lost city were found 30 feet under the surface of the Mediterranean Sea in Aboukir Bay, near Alexandria.

A new documentary highlights the major discoveries that have been unearthed at Thonis-Heracleion during a 13-year excavation. Exciting archeological finds help describe an ancient city that was not only a vital international trade hub but possibly an important religious center. The television crew used archeological survey data to construct a computer model of the city.

http://seriouslyforreal.com/serious...ian-city-revealed-after-1200-years-under-sea/

[youtube]bnXINzeSIRw[/youtube]

 

[RastaRocket]

Wow, that's the coolest thing I have seen in a while.

 

[CF74]

Neat pics..

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That's pretty interesting. I do tend to like these kinds of things.

I confess, if I had the chance to visit any ancient port city (ones we actually know existed) I think it might be The Port City of Caesarea built by Herod the Great in 30 BCE. I watched a piece on it and it absolutely captured my imagination. It must have been beautiful in it's day.

 

[DFWJC]

That's pretty interesting. I do tend to like these kinds of things.

I confess, if I had the chance to visit any ancient port city (ones we actually know existed) I think it might be The Port City of Caesarea built by Herod the Great in 30 BCE. I watched a piece on it and it absolutely captured my imagination. It must have been beautiful in it's day.

What is astounding is how much they have uncovered in the last decade or two that so strongly authenticates the Bible as an historical document...leaving religion out of it, of course.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I usually don't tell people what to do, but click on the link for the pics and videos.

 

[5Stars]

I usually don't tell people what to do, but click on the link for the pics and videos.

I don't either but "sea" is spelled like that, not "see". :laugh2:

But, thanks for the post, that is cool!

 

[speedkilz88]

The documentary aired in May in German and French on a station called ARTE (Germany). I wonder if/when an english version will air in the US.

The TV documentary Egypt's Sunken City/ A Legend Is Revealed shows the rediscovery of the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion that submerged more than a 1,000 years ago, on Saturday, 11 May, at 8.15 pm (German)/ 8.45 pm (French) on Arte.
Thonis-Heracleion was the gateway to Egypt, the obligatory port of entry and customs point during the Egyptian Late Period (664 BC until 332 BC). It was a vital node in the trading network of the eastern Mediterranean through which goods flowed into and out of Egypt. The first traces of it were found 6.5 kilometres off today’s coastline by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) under the overall direction of Franck Goddio in 2000. In cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry for Antiquities and the support of the Hilti Foundation, the team has recovered important information on the city’s ancient landmarks, such as the grand temple of god Amun and his son Khonsou and the city’s harbours.

http://www.franckgoddio.org/service...icle/tv-documentary-on-thonis-heracleion.html

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I don't either but "sea" is spelled like that, not "see". :laugh2:

But, thanks for the post, that is cool!

Haha, I know. I've been a spelling dummy lately. A punctuation idiot, too.

 

[Lodeus]

I use the word awesome often, but this is truly awesome.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I use the word awesome often, but this is truly awesome.

Agreed. I love the history of Egypt. And Egyptian wimmen even more so. But my jaw dropped when I saw this. Amazing!

 

[Kristen82]

Agreed. I love the history of Egypt. And Egyptian wimmen even more so.

Remember though, eunuchs aren't actually wimmen...

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Remember though, eunuchs aren't actually wimmen...

Fahahah! :laugh2:

(Speaking of Eunuchs. They're also one of those backwards countries where a small portion of the more radical people practice female genital mutilation. )

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

The documentary aired in May in German and French on a station called ARTE (Germany). I wonder if/when an english version will air in the US.




http://www.franckgoddio.org/service...icle/tv-documentary-on-thonis-heracleion.html

You'd think we'd already have a version.

 

[CashMan]

That's pretty interesting. I do tend to like these kinds of things.

I confess, if I had the chance to visit any ancient port city (ones we actually know existed) I think it might be The Port City of Caesarea built by Herod the Great in 30 BCE. I watched a piece on it and it absolutely captured my imagination. It must have been beautiful in it's day.

Like, travel to it now, or time travel back to it, when it was at its peak?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Like, travel to it now, or time travel back to it, when it was at its peak?

I'd do either to be honest. I mean, if I could have seen it when it was at it's height, that would be something else. So much about that City that was cool. Not sure if you are familiar with the history of it but it was not only a beautiful port city, so we are told, but it was years ahead of it's time in it's construction. It was the first man made harbor, the first port city that was actually constructed using what we know of today as cement and the first harbor city to have it's port made of pre-fabricated cement structures that were later placed into the ocean and actually anchored and built upon to form a harbor. It's construction is literally ground breaking. It was the forerunner of all modern construction techniques we still use today. Now, it is a National Monument and a tourist site and I'm told it is very beautiful still today with shops and restaurants along the streets that were once the Harbor District.

Herod The Great might have been the best builder in the history of mankind. He is responsible for building so many unbelievable works of architecture during his reign. All of them were not only wonders but they were aesthetically beautiful with Aqueducts, beautiful public baths, hanging gardens etc. For the time period and considering the locations he built on, no small feats for the period and building in what is basically dirt or what was then known as Judea. He was Brutal to be sure, history says he was that and much worse but if you just look at what he was able to build during his reign, he was unbelievable in his accomplishments.

 

[CashMan]

I'd do either to be honest. I mean, if I could have seen it when it was at it's height, that would be something else. So much about that City that was cool. Not sure if you are familiar with the history of it but it was not only a beautiful port city, so we are told, but it was years ahead of it's time in it's construction. It was the first man made harbor, the first port city that was actually constructed using what we know of today as cement and the first harbor city to have it's port made of pre-fabricated cement structures that were later placed into the ocean and actually anchored and built upon to form a harbor. It's construction is literally ground breaking. It was the forerunner of all modern construction techniques we still use today. Now, it is a National Monument and a tourist site and I'm told it is very beautiful still today with shops and restaurants along the streets that were once the Harbor District.

Herod The Great might have been the best builder in the history of mankind. He is responsible for building so many unbelievable works of architecture during his reign. All of them were not only wonders but they were aesthetically beautiful with Aqueducts, beautiful public baths, hanging gardens etc. For the time period and considering the locations he built on, no small feats for the period and building in what is basically dirt or what was then known as Judea. He was Brutal to be sure, history says he was that and much worse but if you just look at what he was able to build during his reign, he was unbelievable in his accomplishments.

I am a little familiar with Herod, but I would want to see Leptis Magna in its hayday(Just not in the middle of summer).