Egypt’s 'Atlantis': Underwater Archaeology and The Lost City of Thonis-Heracleion

posted on: May 21, 2021

By: Claire Boyle/Arab America Contributing Writer

Introduction:

We have all heard tales of the fictional underwater city of Atlantis, one that was named in Timaeus and Critias by Plato, but were you aware that those ideas might not be so far-fetched? This is because there is a lost underwater city that is carefully being excavated out of the Mediterranean Sea off the northwestern coast of Egypt near Alexandria. This city in ancient times was called Thonis or in Greek, Heracleion, but it has now come to be known as Thonis-Heracleion. Now, the question that one must ask is, how do you excavate a lost underwater city, how was Thonis-Heracleion discovered, and what items have the archaeologists found so far of interest? To answer all these questions, we will unpack the geography and history surrounding this ancient city as well as the current projects going on to excavate it, and we will also be exploring a specialty field of archaeology called underwater archaeology which will show how Thonis-Heracleion’s items are being brought to the surface in Egypt now.

Geography of Thonis-Heracleion:

As for a look into the city’s geography, we will be taking a glance at both its above-ground and underwater geographical locations to get a sense of what Thonis-Heracleion was like in its ancient and current states. Let us take a first look at the city’s ancient geography. In these times, Thonis-Heracleion was built on adjoining islands in the Nile Delta. For a background reference, the Nile Delta is the lush green color of fertile land in the picture above which boasts plenty of cultivatable land for agricultural products. These islands were “intersected by canals” which allowed for Thonis-Heracleion to become a major trading port and cultural center.

In modern times, Thonis-Heracleion is now submerged underwater in the Mediterranean Sea by way of the Abu Qir Bay which is close to Alexandria. One might ask, how did it get underwater? Well, in the third century AD, there was a major earthquake that took place near Egypt, but, surprisingly, that is not the reason for Thonis-Heracleion’s demise into the sea. The earthquake certainly factored into weakening the city as did other natural disasters, but rather soil liquefaction (which causes soil to lose its strength and stiffness which can lead to knocking down structures) was the main reason why Thonis-Heracleion fell into the Mediterranean Sea.

Historical Synopsis of the City:

As for a brief historical synopsis, Thonis-Heracleion’s main purpose as an ancient city was to serve as an emporion or a major trading port. The city had a stable government system that collected taxes, and Thonis-Heracleion’s citizens used all the major waterways to transport goods and other supplies, thus making it a hub for international trade from about 664 BC to 332 BC. The city also served as a pilgrimage site as it had many temples and worship sites for the gods such as Osiris, Khonsu (Greek: Herakles), and to Amun-Gereb, the supreme Egyptian god at the time. The city experienced numerous natural disasters which weakened its soil and infrastructure, and finally, by the time it was under control by the Romans, Thonis-Heracleion became fully submerged in the Mediterranean Sea around 700 AD.

Excavation of Thonis-Heracleion:

So, the question that must be answered is how does one excavate an archaeological site that is underwater? Who discovered Thonis-Heracleion and how was the city found? Thonis-Heracleion, amazingly, stayed untouched and undiscovered until the year 2000. It was only a little over twenty years ago that this amazing site was spotted, so how did the archaeologists find it? In 2000, a team at The European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) led by Franck Goddio discovered this ancient city. It took him about a total of 5 years to find it when he started his research in the mid-1990s. Goddio is a French underwater archaeologist who, interestingly, enough was born in Casablanca, Morocco which gives him a connection to the Arab World besides his excavations in Egypt. He also has degrees in mathematics and statistics and has turned his life’s work and focus on it since the 1980s. In 2003, in cooperation with the University of Oxford, he founded Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology.

Thonis-Heracleion was discovered by “using a survey-based approach coupled with the most sophisticated technical equipment.” Over the course of twenty-plus years, Goddio and his team have been working to excavate, map, and locate parts of Thonis-Heracleion. The excavation is an ongoing mission and Goddio estimates that only about 5% of the city has been excavated and mapped.

Underwater Archaeology:

What is underwater archaeology? In basic terms, it is the field of “archaeology practiced underwater,” but it also goes far more in-depth than that. As a field of study, underwater archaeology has only been recently accepted, and it is being utilized to learn more about ancient and modern civilizations that have been submerged (like Thonis-Heracleion), or with shipwrecks and airplane crashes. Furthermore, underwater archaeology has helped historians, above-ground archaeologists, and anthropologists piece together the past by finding the remains of port-like structures, refuse, debris, and garbage, and other items that have been dumped or fallen into the water.

The Archaeological Finds of Thonis-Heracleion:

What amazing items have been found in Thonis-Heracleion? The first things Goddio and his team found were the great temple of Amun as well as some interesting pieces such as a stele which is usually a stone tablet meant to be a monument. This specific monument has hieroglyphic inscriptions which also served a specific function as a decree in ancient times. Furthermore, Goddio solved an archaeological mystery that “puzzled Egyptologists for a long time.” That mystery was whether Thonis and Heracleion were one or two cities; well, Goddio found that they were the same city but with different names, one being the Egyptian and the other, Greek. So, now the city has come to be known as Thonis-Heracleion to illustrate their sameness. Goddio has also found statues, some that are over four feet tall, and other everyday items such as coins and columns from the Ptolemaic Period, and pottery. Finally, his team has discovered larger items such as a“baris which is a type of Nile River boat, a small Greek temple, and other treasure-carrying ships.”

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we have found out that there are underwater cities. We will never find the fictional Atlantis, but at least we have Thonis-Heracleion which is very interesting in and of itself. Here is a city that until about twenty years ago laid undiscovered under the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, but thanks to the amazing field of underwater archaeology, we have been able to find it. Goddio’s team continues to excavate it, and they have been using models to recreate what Thonis-Heracleion might have looked like in ancient times. Finally, this majestic city is being rediscovered for a new generation to be mesmerized by its beauty and continue to learn more about ancient Egyptian history.

To learn more:

www.franckgoddio.org

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpkwLSzxZ_gTJLj7nKfVhQ=

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