Word: herakleion
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...This year's expedition resulted in another impressive haul, indicating that Herakleion will continue pleasing archaeologists for some time to come. Inscriptions on a statue, for example, indicate that the Temple of Herakleion was in continuous use for much of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The treasures discovered at the site include exquisite bronze ritual objects, such as an incense burner with a duckbill handle, and a ladle topped by a vulture's head. The discovery of gold Byzantine coins and crosses in the area may indicate the presence of a Christian monastery, proof that Herakleion was still inhabited as late...
...Herakleion's re-emergence from the sea should provide a treasure trove not only for archaeologists but also for historians. "Now when you read the ancient text," says Goddio, "everything makes sense...
...have an intact city, frozen in time." With those dramatic words, French underwater explorer Franck Goddio announced the discovery of Herakleion, the long-lost Egyptian port city often mentioned in classical writings and described by Herodotus. He visited it in 450 B.C. and toured a temple dedicated to the mythic strongman Hercules...
Then, about four miles offshore, Goddio's magnetometers pinpointed large structures covered by sediment 30 ft. below the surface. Nearby, they also discovered what was once the mouth of the now submerged Canopic branch of the Nile, where ancient writings had indeed placed Herakleion, a prosperous, commercial gateway to Egypt...
...Herakleion, its economic importance waned after Alexander the Great founded Alexandria in 332 B.C. But Herakleion remained an influential cultural center, the goal of many religious pilgrims, until the 8th century A.D., when it was suddenly destroyed, probably by a powerful earthquake that toppled its buildings and submerged the entire city...