In a stunning archeological event, Egyptian authorities have announced the recovery of a trove of 2,000-year-old artifacts from a sunken city off the coast of Alexandria. The discovery, made in Abu Qir Bay, includes statues, Roman coins, pottery, and fragments of a merchant ship, shedding new light on a lost chapter of ancient Egyptian history. The relics are believed to be from an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a once-thriving center during the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman Empire.
The recovery operation, a collaboration between divers and archeologists from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, brought to the surface a range of remarkable items. Among the finds were statues of sphinxes and royal figures, as well as a priest figure, all meticulously pulled from the Mediterranean seabed. Officials noted that many of the statues are missing their heads and feet, a type of damage they believe was caused by a natural disaster, such as a tsunami or an earthquake, which is what likely caused the city to sink. The artifacts confirm that the site was a fully integrated residential and commercial city.
This discovery is particularly significant as it adds to the ongoing excavations of other submerged cities in the area, including the legendary Thonis-Heracleion, which was famously rediscovered in 2000 by underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio. For centuries, Thonis-Heracleion was considered a myth, a legendary port city where the Nile met the sea, a place visited by mythical figures like Heracles and historical figures like Paris and Helen of Troy. The archaeological material found there proved that Thonis and Heracleion were one and the same city, a bustling port that controlled all trade into Egypt before it was gradually consumed by the sea.
The new findings from Abu Qir Bay contribute to this understanding, offering more tangible evidence of the vibrant cosmopolitan life that existed in ancient Alexandria’s port cities. The artifacts, which will be restored and displayed at the Alexandria National Museum, reflect a rich blend of Greek and Egyptian cultures during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. These underwater sites serve as a powerful and fragile record of the past, as modern-day Alexandria itself faces the very same threat of rising sea levels that claimed these ancient cities.
