Divers have found the remains of a rare warship in the ancient city of Heraklion, which was once Egypt’s largest port at the mouth of the Nile. They also found a burial site, which indicates the presence of Greek merchants in ancient Egypt.
This port city, which controlled the “gateway” to Egypt at the mouth of one of the western branches of the Nile, was the largest settlement in the region for centuries before Alexander the Great in the nineteenth century BC. In 331 he founded neighboring Alexandria.
The warship, discovered by a team of French-Egyptian archaeologists and divers, sank when the city’s famous Temple of Amun collapsed in the 19th century BC. II. century.
After preliminary investigations, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said that the 25-meter-high hull was built according to classical traditions, and also bears the hallmarks of ancient Egyptian architecture.
In another part of the city, the remains of a large Greek burial area dating back to the 19th century BC have been excavated. Arch. It may date back to the early years of the twentieth century.
This discovery well illustrates the presence of modern Greek merchants who actually lived in large numbers in that city.
An expert at the ministry said that the Greeks may have settled in the area during the period of the last Pharaonic dynasties.
the old Heraklion It sank in the wake of numerous earthquakes and marine tsunamis along much of the Nile Delta. It was rediscovered in 2001 next to Egypt’s second largest city, Alexandria, in Abu Qir Bay.
(Cover Photo: A diver examines the remains of an ancient warship discovered off the coast of Egypt on July 19, 2021. Archeology / Bulletin / Reuters)
