A team of underwater archaeologists has made new discoveries at a sunken temple in the ancient port city Thonis-Heracleion, which is now located off Egypt’s coast, the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) announced on Tuesday, Writes ARTNews

The city, which was initially found underwater by the IEASM in 2000, was once Egypt’s largest port along the Mediterranean Sea. That port was active for centuries before the founding of Alexandria in 331 BCE. Its remains are now under the ocean roughly 4.3 miles from the current coastline.

Artifacts at a Greek sanctuary to Aphrodite among the ruins of the ancient city Thonis-Heracleion. © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation. Photo Christoph Gerigk

Led by French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio, the team found huge blocks of stone from a collapsed ancient temple dedicated to the god Amun. Pharaohs went to the temple to be bestowed with their power as king.
Additionally, the team found precious objects, among them silver ritual instruments, gold jewelry, and alabaster containers for perfumes and ointments. These objects are thought to have once belonged to the temple treasury.
Excavations conducted by Goddio’s team and the underwater archaeology department of Egypt’s ministry and tourism department yielded underground structures supported dating back to the 5th century BCE. Before these structures sunk, they were supported using wooden posts and beams. The use of new geophysical prospecting technologies, which make it possible to detect buried chambers and objects, aided in the find.
A Greek sanctuary to Aphrodite containing bronze and ceramic objects was unearthed east of the Amun temple. Archaeologists believe that the discovery of Greek weapons in the area indicated the presence of mercenaries who would have been defending access to the Kingdom. It also demonstrates that Greeks were allowed to trade and settle in the city during the Saïte dynasty (664–525 BCE).

Even Business Insider is getting in on the exciting news of the recent finds of Franck Goddio's Team in Egypt

One of the Team with a very interesting find
© Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation. Photo Christoph Gerigk

They lay hidden on the ocean bed for more than 1,000 years, but now the treasures and secrets of an ancient city off the coastline of Egypt are being uncovered, reads the article from todays Independant

The remains of a massive temple and a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek goddess of Aphrodite have been discovered in the underwater port city of Thonis-Heracleion by a team led by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM).
The team explored the city’s south canal, where huge blocks of stone from the Amun temple were believed to have crumbled “during a cataclysmic event dated to the mid-2nd Century BC”, according to the IEASM.

The search also revealed gold and silver treasure from the sunken temple, including artifacts that were used to bless the pharaohs as they ascended to the throne. It also found the sanctuary to Aphrodite along with ancient Greek weapons.
The discoveries suggest that Greeks were allowed to relocate, live and worship in the ancient Egyptian city, now located in the Bay of Aboukir near Alexandria.

Archaeology Magazine covers the recent finds of Franck Goddio's team, emphasizing the connection between the Greek and Egyptian Cultures.