Discovery of Thonis-Heracleion
For centuries, Thonis-Heracleion was thought to be a myth. It was only mentioned briefly in ancient texts and rare inscriptions. However, all that changed in 2000 when underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, along with his team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), discovered the city's remains off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
3. The Lost City Comes to Life
The discovery of Thonis-Heracleion was nothing short of a miracle. The city was found submerged under thick layers of sand and silt in the western part of Aboukir Bay. Despite the harsh underwater conditions and the passage of thousands of years, a plethora of artefacts have been recovered, providing valuable insights into the city's past and its role in the ancient world.
Architectural Splendors of Thonis-Heracleion
The excavations at Thonis-Heracleion have revealed a city of unparalleled architectural grandeur. The city was crisscrossed by a network of canals and dotted with grand temples, tower-houses, and harbours, all connected by bridges and pontoons. One of the most significant structures found was the temple of Amun, a major place of worship for the ancient Egyptians.
Treasures of Thonis-Heracleion
Among the many treasures unearthed from Thonis-Heracleion, one of the most striking is a colossal red granite statue of the fertility god Hapi. Other artefacts include gold jewelry, coins, ritual vessels, and a stele that revealed Thonis and Heracleion were the same city, known by its Egyptian and Greek names respectively. The discovery of these artefacts has revolutionized our understanding of Thonis-Heracleion and its historical significance.
The Greek Influence
Another fascinating aspect of Thonis-Heracleion is the evident Greek influence on the city. The discovery of a Grecian temple to Aphrodite and several Greek artefacts signifies the cultural interplay between the Egyptians and the Greeks. This cultural integration is further evidenced by the discovery of Greek weaponry, suggesting the presence of Greek mercenaries in the city.
The Rise and Fall of Thonis-Heracleion
At its zenith, Thonis-Heracleion was a bustling metropolis, attracting traders and visitors from across the Mediterranean. In the sixth or seventh century AD, following a strong earthquake, the ground on which rested Heracleion liquefied, swallowing its grandiose temples. The city was not destroyed, but without those monuments it gradually lost its importance as the nerve center of social and religious life in Egypt.Coastal erosion and rising sea levels did the rest, causing it to fall into oblivion a few centuries later, forgotten, on the Mediterranean seabed.
Depending on its composition, under certain circumstances the ground can literally "melt" under our feet: this is known as soil liquefaction, which occurs
when, as a result of the deep and prolonged vibrations of an earthquake, the soil suddenly changes from a solid to a gelatinous liquid, engulfing everything that is above. It can happen where there are sedimentary soils that become saturated with water and that during an earthquake can behave like jelly.
Conclusion
A few millennia have passed, but we haven't learned much about assessing areas at risk. In February 2011, near Christchurch, New Zealand, the liquefaction of the ground following a quake in a long sequence of earthquakes that had begun months earlier caused casualties and damage, although to a lesser extent than previous ones, in part because it triggered liquefaction phenomena that literally left the buildings above without support. It happened in Japan the same year and in Italy the following year (but in this case the liquefaction occurred in unbuilt areas).
Several cities on the west coast of the United States (on the Pacific) are vulnerable to this particular event (because they are built on sedimentary soils), as are Charleston and Savannah (on the Atlantic); Lagos (Nigeria, on the Atlantic), several areas of London, and many cities in China and Southeast Asia.
In a vicious cycle, one phenomenon triggers another: global warming causes glaciers to melt, which causes sea levels to rise. Seismic wave-induced liquefaction is not unique to coastal areas, but in these areas the risk increases if the terrain is favorable: rising sea levels not only contaminate groundwater, but also raise its level, and the water continues to saturate the soil above. At this point, shaking from an earthquake can suddenly turn the soil into slush and jelly without warning.
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