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

This statue of a Queen of Egypt, emerging from the sea in a wet, transparent tunic clinging to her body, is attributed to Arsinoé II.

Can you imagine the desire amongst the divers on Franck's team to find the remaining pieces of this beautiful statue in the submarine desert sands of Canopus?

I'm re-watching these videos Franck Goddio made about some of the greatest finds during the ongoing underwater archaeological excavations of Sunken Egyptian Cities.

After a millenium under the sea, and a few years on tour of the worlds cultural capitals as part of exhibitions of the finds of the IEASM, the colossal statues of an Egyptian Queen dressed as Isis and her double-crowned Pharaoh King have found a permanent home at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt.



The long anticipated Museum opening has not yet occurred, but eager visitors can already see the Royal Couple in their place of prominence. So far from where Franck Goddio's team of divers found them. I am so proud to be part of that team, and remember the discovery like it was yesterday.

CNN just covered the opening in a video clip here. I hope you enjoy it.

Seeing as I spent over 20 years diving on the most important sunken cities in history as part of the team of legendary Underwater Archaeologist Franck Goddio, I ought to know what the competition is, right?

But there are a lot of sites with "Submerged Cultural Resources" (as the experts call them) out there, and with new technology and interest, new ones pop up regularly.

Not to mention the plethora of malignant videos and articles offering photoshopped and AI produced images of fantastical underwater scenes that never existed.

So I'm doing some digging, for my own interest, and will be plopping the interesting bits in here as posts.
Step one; A google search of the words "Sunken Cities" results below: Inconceivably, Heracleion did not come in first place! Scandalous!