New Delhi: Heracleion is one of the brightest names in the annals of lost-and-found legendary cities. Also called the Thonis and the Thonis-Heracleion, this port city in Egypt near the Canopic Mouth of the Nile, became inundated, and lost to the society. Centuries later, the city, whose legendary beginnings go back to as early as the 12th century BC, and is found in the works of ancient Greek historians, was rediscovered. In this article, we will learn more about this famous historical port city.
Know about the history of this port city
Originally, Heracleion was built on the Nile Delta’s adjoining islands around a central temple. Numerous canals interspersed it and the place had several harbours and anchorages and ferries, bridges, and pontoons used to connect its places. The trading port became the country’s main port for international trade and tax collection by the Later Period. The city had a large temple of Amun’s Khonsou and the worship of Amun became more prominent later. It flourished between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, and a large temple of Amun-Gereb, Egypt’s supreme god was built.
Why did the port city decline?
Alexandria became Egypt’s primary port in the second century BC, diminishing the status of Thonis-Heracleion. Its importance began to fall with Alexandria’s rise. Also, a major weather event, either a tsunami, earthquake, or both ravaged the city. Still, people used to live in the city but by the eighth century AD, the city was completely submersed into the sea. It stayed like that for 1200 years, lost to human civilisation. Its remains were covered by sand and other debris, making accidental discovery unlikely. It helped to preserve the ancient city as looters and unsuspecting humans and animals had little chance to tarnish its remains.
But then, in 2000, French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team of the IEASM along with Egypt’s Ministry for Antiquities found and excavated the lost city after searching for five years. They researched the historical texts about the area and narrowed down its possible location which helped them to unearth the history of a city lost for over a thousand years. Since then, several discoveries have been made at the site over the years, shedding light on the history of a place which once flourished and reached great heights.
Originally, Heracleion was built on the Nile Delta’s adjoining islands around a central temple. Numerous canals interspersed it and the place had several harbours and anchorages and ferries, bridges, and pontoons used to connect its places. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
