Heracleion

Heracleion (ancient Thonis-Heracleion) was an important ancient Egyptian port city located at the mouth of the Nile and is now largely submerged in Abu Qir Bay off the coast of Alexandria. It was a major maritime and commercial centre in the first millennium BCE and into the Graeco-Roman period.

The submerged site contains the remains of temple precincts, quay structures, colossal statuary and shipwrecks, many of which have been documented and raised by maritime archaeological teams. The assemblage has provided extensive new information about trade, religion and urban layout in the ancient Nile delta.

The city developed as a focal point for maritime traffic entering the Nile and for religious activities connected with local cults; over time parts of the city sank beneath the sea due to a combination of subsidence, soil liquefaction and changing shoreline. Modern underwater excavations led by international teams rediscovered and began systematic investigation of the site around the turn of the 21st century.

Heracleion’s remains lie off the Egyptian coast in Abu Qir Bay, near the present-day Alexandria region and the Nile Delta shoreline.

• Underwater archaeology: The site is submerged in Abu Qir Bay off the coast of Alexandria and has been investigated by underwater archaeologists since the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• Recovered artefacts: Archaeologists have recovered large stone statues, inscribed blocks and evidence of sunken quay structures and ship remains, providing extensive material culture from a major ancient port.

What to See #

• Temple complex: Remains of temple precincts and monumental statuary associated with the cult of Amun and other deities, visible as sunken foundations and sculptural fragments recovered from the seabed.