Countless treasures and underwater temple discovered in sunken Heraklion

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced that marine archaeologists plunging into the ancient flooded city of Heraklion (named after Heracles, who, according to legend, founded the city) off the coast of the Nile Delta, discovered the remains of a temple, docks and boats with ancient treasures.

No doubt, we all heard the legend of Atlantis, captured by the ocean, which has not yet been found. Nevertheless, over the past 20 years, another underwater city has been discovered. His treasures also stunned and inspired adventurers to search. As in the case of Atlantis, for centuries it was believed that this is nothing more than a legend that says that the city was visited by Elena Troyanskaya and her beloved Paris. In fact, Heraclion turned out to be real.

There was a temple in which Queen Cleopatra was crowned. Ancient texts tell of magnificent celebrations that attracted the Egyptian nobility.

Known as Tonis in Egypt, immersed to a depth of 150 feet, the city is located in the Gulf of Abu Kir. In the 8th century BC, when it was built, the Nile River Delta was located on this site.

The circumstances of the discovery of this most important ancient city are related to the fact that in 2000 an underwater archaeologist "in search of French warships" stumbled upon the sunken city and its many lost treasures. In 2019, researcher Frank Goddio, who leads a team of archaeological divers, said that "the last archaeological dive opened the main temple of the city and the remains of a smaller Greek temple", as well as "ancient columns and bronze coins from the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy II." They relate to the period between 283 and 246 BC.

For many centuries, dozens of sarcophagi, giant statues of pharaohs, sphinx and hundreds of statues of gods and goddesses, 64 ancient ships, 700 anchors, gold coins and weights made of bronze and stone were stored in the main sunken temple dedicated to Amon-Ra.

A team of scientists expanded the horizons of the sunken city "about two-thirds of a mile", and a map of the sunken city of Canopus, sunken next to Heraklion, was also drawn. On one of the many ancient ships dating back to the 4th century BC, a completely preserved vessel with utensils, coins and jewelry was discovered.

It is still difficult for scientists to answer the question of why the city sank, having existed for almost 1000 years since construction. Many agree that the gradual rise in sea level and the precipitation of a large amount of rainfall led to flooding of the territory. Back in 2013, English scientists expressed the version that the central island of Heraklion, on which all the main temples were located, collapsed into the sea in almost a few moments. The fact is that clay soil as a result of floods constantly soaked and finally turned into liquid. Thus, the whole city went under water, and the only evidence of its existence has been preserved in several ancient texts.

Reading about ancient environmental disasters, such as the one about Tonis-Heraklion, perhaps the most difficult thing to explain is how a center of excellence in shipping and trade, driven by human ingenuity, can one day just dive into the sea and to be forgotten. And while the tons of inanimate artifacts and treasures found in the sunken city fascinate us, each of them holds memories of a long-forgotten urban lifestyle and a gloomy reminder of how fragile many of our modern cities are.

Researchers believe that the next candidate city for the role of "modern Heraklion" is Venice. She goes under the water for 2 centimeters every five years.

Egypt's Mediterranean coast is at serious risk of rising sea levels, and even the most optimistic forecasts of global temperature changes will drive millions of people living in the region out of their homes over the next four decades.

The thousand-year heritage of Tonis-Heraklion lies on the seabed and serves as an underwater portal to the past of our cities, as well as a reminder of how we play chess with nature. Climate and unpredictable weather can always check our current rulers. And they will do it when they wish.