Long ago, the Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion sank into the Mediterranean Sea, slipping from the realm of reality into the mists of legend. For centuries, the world forgot about this once-bustling port at the mouth of the Nile River, where Egyptian and Greek cultures intertwined. Known as Thonis to the Egyptians and Heracleion to the Greeks, the city was a vital trading hub, serving as Egypt’s most significant port. But as time passed, the memory of Thonis-Heracleion faded, leaving behind only whispers of its existence—until the modern age brought it back to light.
The Rise and Fall of Thonis-Heracleion
Founded around the 8th century B.C.E., Thonis-Heracleion thrived as a bustling maritime city. It was the gateway through which goods from the ancient world flowed into Egypt, a place where sailors, merchants, and travelers converged. The city was a labyrinth of canals, harbors, and wharves, connected by ferries, boats, and bridges. It was a place of both commerce and myth, with Greek historian Herodotus describing it as the first landing point of the hero Heracles in Egypt and the port where Paris and Helen of Troy sought refuge before the Trojan War.
However, the city’s fortunes began to wane in the wake of Alexander the Great’s rise. In 331 B.C.E., Alexander founded Alexandria just 15 miles to the southwest, a city that quickly eclipsed Thonis-Heracleion with its grandeur, including the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria. Meanwhile, Thonis-Heracleion faced a series of natural disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels plagued the city, and by the end of the second century B.C.E., the central island housing its main temples succumbed to the sea. The hard clay beneath the city had liquefied, causing the land to sink and the city to vanish beneath the waves.
By the 8th century C.E., Thonis-Heracleion had disappeared entirely, becoming a mere footnote in history. Some even doubted that the city had ever existed, dismissing it as a legend akin to Atlantis. Yet, unlike Atlantis, Thonis-Heracleion was real, and its story was far from over.
Rediscovering ‘Venice of the Nile’
For centuries, Thonis-Heracleion remained hidden beneath the sea, its treasures buried under meters of sand and sediment. Early archaeologists searched in vain on land, unaware that the city’s remains lay underwater. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that modern technology allowed explorers to uncover the truth.
In the 1990s, the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities located the ruins of Thonis-Heracleion about four miles off the coast of present-day Abu Qir Bay, at a depth of around 30 feet. In 2000, divers began to explore the site, and what they found was nothing short of extraordinary.
The seabed was littered with the remnants of Thonis-Heracleion’s glory. Divers uncovered massive statues, including 15-foot-tall effigies of Hapi, the Egyptian god of fertility, which once stood guard over the city’s port. They also found statues of Cleopatra III, intricately inscribed stone slabs, war helmets, anchors, coins, jewelry, and pottery—all remarkably preserved despite the passage of time.
One of the most significant discoveries was an ancient Greek military vessel, believed to have been anchored off the coast when the city’s Temple of Amun-Gereb collapsed into the sea. This vessel, along with a fourth-century B.C.E. Greek funerary complex, added to the evidence of Thonis-Heracleion’s importance as a cultural and commercial hub.
Yet, despite these remarkable finds, archaeologists have only scratched the surface. The site spans an area of about six miles by nine miles, and much of it remains unexplored. As technology advances and exploration continues, there is little doubt that Thonis-Heracleion will yield even more treasures from its watery grave.
The rediscovery of Thonis-Heracleion is not just a tale of ancient Egypt, but a reminder of how fragile our civilizations are, vulnerable to the whims of nature and time. Once lost to the sea, the city is slowly revealing its secrets, offering us a glimpse into a world that was once vibrant and alive. As archaeologists continue to uncover its mysteries, Thonis-Heracleion stands as a testament to human ingenuity and the enduring power of history, a sunken legacy brought back to life from the depths of the Mediterranean.