The remains of the ancient city Heracleon Bashny.Net

Interesting report on diving to the ancient city Heracleon, which was completely flooded about 1,200 years ago. See photos and read further.





During the 13 years of excavations since the first artifacts were recovered 64 ancient wrecks and more than 700 anchors. In addition, among the finds were gold coins, weights from Athens and huge slabs with inscriptions in ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian language.



The city was flooded by a series of natural disasters around the year 700 of our ery.V Currently researchers have a long work on the archaeological study found sokrovischa.Po According to the director of the Oxford Centre for Underwater Archaeology Damien Robinson (Damien Robinson), who took part in retrieving artifacts, city It was one of the most important sites of antiquity maritime transport, as well as a major cultural center.



Scientists do not exactly know why Heracleon sank more than a millennium ago, but suggest that a gradual rise in sea level, combined with the sudden collapse of unstable sediment has led to the fact that the city fell to a depth of about 3 to 6 meters.

Over time, the city had disappeared from memory, and its existence was known only from a few references in ancient texts.



Also found were various religious artifacts sunken city, including a 5-meter stone sculpture, which probably adorned the central church of the town and sarcophagi made of limestone, which were mummified animals.



After removing the layer of sand and mud divers found evidence of extreme wealth, which paints a picture of what life was like in Heracleon, who is believed to have been the center of Mediterranean trade more than 1,000 years ago.



The researchers also found the remains of the legendary temple of Amun-Gereb where Cleopatra was given authority to rule Egypt. The temple was the center point of the city. Experts have yet to discover what caused the immersion of the city, but one theory is unstable geological environment, so Heracleon was built on marine sediments, which, combined with rising sea levels may have caused dive all over the city in the water to a depth of about 3, 6 meters.



Only 15-20 days a year in the Bay of clear water. The rest of the year because of the very large amount of silt visibility was no more than twenty centimeters! Anyway mud covers everything and changing the shape of the bottom and objects on it. Not by chance, when he was found "stone", covered with mud and shells, first passed by him, and only then realized - this is the head of the ancient sculpture.



Divers working in extreme conditions. They shoveled "dirt-yl" on an area of ​​about one hundred meters using suction pumps, equipped with filters to any great find not slipped into this "unit" and not broken. If nothing is found, the divers went upstairs to get the next job.

Photo: Bronze oil lamp (2nd century BC) belonging to the temple of Amun.



Pictured: a fragment of a colossal statue head made of red granite (5.4 meters), symbolizing the god Hapi - god of the Nile and the patron of the harvest in Egyptian mythology. Hapi represented the annual flood of the Nile the great, the rich fertile silt that allowed the Egyptians to grow good crops of grain crops along the banks of this river. His name means "The only current", which means for the Nile. Hapi was also known as "Lord of the fish and birds of the marsh," "Lord of the river bearing plant».



Archaeologists raised a statue of the god Hapi, the height of 5.4 meters. She decorated the main church of the city.



Photo: podnyatnye archaeologists put together from the bottom of the fragments of colossal stele. Pharaoh, Queen and God Hapi immortalized in red granite. Stela of red granite was collected from 17 wreckage. It dates back to 2. BC



This golden object (11 x 5 cm) was found in the course of the preliminary investigation of the southern sector of the city. The plate is engraved with the Greek text of a length of 5 and a half lines. This plate served podverzhdeniem contributions in the name of the ruler Ptolemy III (246-222 BC).



In the photo: a bronze statue of Osiris, who was murdered and then resurrected pharaoh-god. It is decorated with a crown Atef. Typical signs of power available. His open eyes highlighted with gold leaf.



Photo: Scientists have raised the stele Heracleon. It was commissioned by the Pharaoh Nectanebo I (378-362 BC) and is virtually identical copy of the stele Naukratisa that sechas is in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo.



In the photo: A golden vessel (Phiale), found in the sector Thonis-Heracleon. Such vessels are essentially shallow dish used throughout the Hellenistic world for drinking and pouring various libations.



In the photo: Our friend the God Hapi. Statue of a height of 5 meters and a half of red granite.



In the photo: God Hapi. Archaeologist checks are secure before lifting to the surface of God.



One of the surprising findings - the fruit of a great statue of the Greek Egyptian Ptolemaic era of creativity - a statue of the Queen, made of black stone. Scientists believe that this is definitely one of the rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra possible representation of Cleopatra II or III, dressed in clothes of the Goddess Isis - the goddess of femininity and motherhood.