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Lost City of Heracleion

Spectacular Photographs Reveal Beauty of the Lost City of Heracleion

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A few weeks ago, we reported on the discovery of the sunken city of Heracleion, which had disappeared into the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Egypt nearly 1,200 years ago.  Now, for the first time, the team working on its recovery have released spectacular never-before-seen photographs showing the mysterious sunken city and the incredible treasures that have sat undisturbed for more than a millennium.

The photographs reveal numerous statues and structures that once stood tall and mighty in the great city of Heracleion, which was once the port of entry to Egypt for all ships coming from Greece and the Mediterranean.  But these are not just regular statues. One photo shows the enormous head of a 5.4 metre statue representing the god Hapi, a symbol of abundance and fertility, which has never been seen before at such a large scale.

The photos also depict a colossal statue of a pharaoh made of red granite, being brought from the dark depths to see the light for the first time in over a thousand years, and a Graeco-Egyptian statue of a Ptolemaic queen which stands eerily on the seabed, surrounded only by sediment and darkness.

One of the most incredible shots shows a diver next to an amazingly well-preserved 1.9 metre tall Heracleion stele commissioned by Nectanebo I in 378-362 BC, complete with detailed and clearly readable inscriptions.

The slide show finishes with remarkable video footage showing the sunken city like an underwater atlantis, fish peacefully circling the ancient and enchanting statues that once depicted the power and wealth of a glorious civilization.

By April Holloway

 
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April

April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. For privacy reasons, she has previously written on Ancient Origins under the pen name April Holloway, but is now choosing to use her real name, Joanna Gillan.

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