What Explorers Discovered Hidden Deep In The Ocean Is Straight Out Of Science Fiction.

Franck Goddio is inspecting a stone with gold fragments (6th-2nd century BC).

A gold vessel (Phiale) recovered from Thonis-Heracleion.

Phiale were shallow dishes used throughout the Hellenistic world for drinking and pouring libations.

These really are incredible objects, and ones that give us information about this city and its culture.

One of the finest finds from the bay of Aboukir is a remarkable Graeco-Egyptian product of the Ptolemaic era – a statue of a Ptolemaic queen in dark stone wearing the usual robe that identifies the sovereigns of Isis incarnate. Found at the site of Heracleion, the statue is certainly one of the queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Most likely, a representation of Cleopatra II or Cleopatra III, dressed as goddess Isis.

It’s incredible how long these relics were lost deep in the Abu Qir Bay.

Colossus of a Ptolemaic queen made out of red granite. The whole statue measures 490 cm in height and weighs 4 tons. It was found close to the big temple of sunken Heracleion.

This really was a monumental discovery, and certainly a dream for any underwater archaeologist.

A colossal statue of red granite (5.4 m) representing the god Hapi, which decorated the temple of Heracleion. The god of the flooding of the Nile, symbol of abundance and fertility, has never before been discovered at such a large scale, which points to his importance for the Canopic region. (Continue reading next page…)