They discovered the remains of a ship and a cemetery in a Greco-Egyptian town submerged in the Mediterranean Sea

A Franco-Egyptian mission today revealed the discovery of new archaeological remains of a cemetery and a military ship in the town of Thonis-Heracleion, submerged in Mediterranean waters off the Egyptian coast and close to the coastal town of Alexandria.

In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced the two new finds: first, the remains of a military ship that sank in the 2nd century BC and was found under five meters of mud, as well as the remains of the temple of the god Amun.

This sanctuary was very important in the city of Thonis-Heraklion, which was also the main port of entry into Egypt for all ships from Greece, before the founding of Alexandria in 331 BC.

Franck Goddio, director of the European Institute of Submerged Archeology (IEASM), explained in the press release that to find this type of fast boats of this time is “extremely rare”, while the team revealed that its characteristics suggest that it was built in Egypt, with local and Greek techniques, that it was 25 meters long and had a flat keel to be able to navigate the Nile.

On the other hand, The remains of a Greek cemetery dating from the first years of the 4th century BC. AD and containing many valuable gifts have been discovered., according to the note.

“This discovery illustrates the presence of Greek merchants who lived in the city and controlled the entry into Egypt at the mouth of the Canopic arm of the Nile”, the westernmost and closest to the bay of Abu Qir, at sea Mediterranean, where he found Thonis-Heracleion and also the city of Canopus.

According to the mixed mission, the Greeks were able to settle in the city during the later Pharaonic dynasties and built their own shrines near the temple of Amun, and the remains of both were found together and in good condition in the city. submerged around 7 miles off the Egyptian coast.

In the second half of the 8th century AD, large areas of the Nile Delta disappeared, due to rising water levels and a natural phenomenon of soil liquefaction, including Thonis-Heracleion, which was discovered by the European Submersion Institute. Archeology (IEASM) in 2001.

(with information from the EFE)

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