Who seeks will always find. This common truth was once again confirmed by Frank Goddio, an archaeologist and founder of the European Institute of Underwater Archeology in Paris. In the summer of 2012, he reported on the sensational find of the semi-mythical city of Heraklion. The discovery happened by chance - during the search and recovery of the ships of the Napoleonic fleet that sank in 1798.
THE MADNESS OF THE BRAVE
Today many archaeologists ask themselves the question: how could the evidence of the "father of history" Herodotus be rejected ?! An ancient Greek historian visited Egypt in 450 BC. e. and described the main temple of Heraklion, dedicated to Hercules. To justify the scientists - the fact that in the narratives of Herodotus, some facts contradict each other. Yes, he heard a lot, saw a lot, traveled a lot, but much in his works is pure invention. Well, who will take seriously his statement that Elena the Beautiful and Paris fled to Heraklion, fearing the wrath of the husband of Elena Menelaus, the king of Sparta ?! After all, lovers have always been perceived as absolutely mythical characters. And suddenly Frank Goddio's discovery mixed all the cards. If he found Heraklion, then Elena and Paris were real people? But that, as they say, is another story.
It took Frank Goddio several years to explore the river bed. Together with specialists from France, the USA and Egypt, Goddio has studied the bottom of Aboukir Bay since 2001. And only in 2012, when scientists found irrefutable evidence, they reported the find. The main "material evidence" was a granite slab with the inscription "Heraklion" carved on it.
RICH AND POWERFUL
This city was founded a very long time ago - more than two thousand years ago. According to legend, it was founded by Alexander the Great himself in 331 BC. e., that is, it arose immediately after the founding of Alexandria. Heraklion was called to serve as the gateway to Egypt. Every ship passing through the Mediterranean Sea or the Nile considered it his duty to look into the harbor of Heraklion. Its strategic position has allowed it to become a major center for trade and maritime shipping. In the main market of the city, one could hear Chinese, Armenian, Persian, Greek speech. Here they sold carpets, jewelry, clay utensils, Chinese silks and tea, and leather harness.
Promotional video:
The ruling dynasty of Hellenistic Egypt, the Ptolemies, was in Heraklion. Here, in their treasury, riches from all over the country flocked. Officials collected tribute from their subjects to fill the pharaohs' chests with gold and silver. The ruling elite did not spare funds for the development of Heraklion. Its spacious squares and streets were decorated with statues of black and pink granite, fountains, steles, the houses of the rich were buried in greenery.
The inhabitants of Heraklion looked towards Ancient Hellas and took an example from it in everything, which is why there were so many works of art created in the image and likeness of the Greeks. The city was adjacent to buildings in the Hellenistic and Egyptian style: a temple in honor of Serapis - the Hellenistic god of abundance and the afterlife, the temple of Isis - the Egyptian goddess of motherhood and femininity, Anubis - a jackal-like god, the guide of the dead to the kingdom of the dead, Basted - the goddess of joy. Heraklion was an international, cosmopolitan city. According to the testimony of the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo, its inhabitants led an idle, luxurious, carefree, and often immoral lifestyle. They drank wine, ate oriental sweets, wore elegant clothes and indulged in vices.
WHY HAS HE GONE?
Nothing is eternal. This sad truth is confirmed by the history of Heraklion. Around 800 BC. e. something happened that caused the beautiful city to disappear from the face of the earth. What was it? Did the area survive a terrible earthquake? Is it all to blame for the eruption of an underwater volcano, which raised a giant wave and covered the city? A terrible downpour fell on Heraklion, flooding him and wiping him off the face of the earth? "The answers to these questions still need to be found by scientists, especially geophysicists," - said Stanford University professor Amos Nur at a conference in San Francisco dedicated to the study of sunken cities. According to Nur, Heraklion was killed by a series of earthquakes, the epicenter of which was in the Mediterranean Sea. The wave caused by them rose so high that it reached the city along the Nile and completely engulfed it. It was not difficult consideringthat the city was only a meter above sea level. According to Noor's assurances, terrible tremors shook the earth for fifty years. The scientist suggests that it was they who caused the death of Troy, Jericho and other city-states in the Mediterranean. Indirect evidence of the devastating earthquake - giant statues and columns at the bottom of the Nile, which fell in one direction. It seems as if they were washed into the water by a wave of unprecedented strength.as if they were washed into the water by a wave of unprecedented strength.as if they were washed into the water by a wave of unprecedented strength.
Jean-Daniel Stanley, senior oceanographer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, thinks differently: the city was not damaged by an earthquake, but by the Nile. "I do not rule out earthquakes," he said, "but flooding caused by a river flood is more likely." In his opinion, in the north of Cairo, the Nile is divided into several branches, Heraklion stood on one of the largest. In the event of an unprecedented flood of the river, the city could easily find itself under the water column. Jean-Daniel Stanley investigated the site and concluded that two thousand years ago the Nile arm moved several kilometers before shallowing and completely disappearing. This could be the result of a series of devastating floods, as a result of which the Nile changed its course. Stanley used sea level measurements taken on the island of Roda, located in present-day Cairo. There,in a stone chamber, measurements of the level of the river have been preserved, starting from 640 AD. e. Indeed, between 740 and 742 A. D. e. there was a severe flood. As a result, the clay soil on which Heraklion stood was eroded, and the ancient city sank to the bottom.
GOD DIDN'T HELP
What have archaeologists found under the water and sand? The main find is the very stele on which the inscription flaunts - Heraklion-Tronis (the second name is ancient Egyptian). The two-meter black granite stele is an almost complete copy of the stele, which is kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The text of the decree of Pharaoh Nectaneb I, founder of the XXX Sebennite dynasty, is carved on the stele, according to which a 10 percent tax was imposed on Greek artisans and goods in Heraklion for the construction of a temple dedicated to the goddess of hunting and war Neith. The text ends with the words: "And His Majesty said:" Let this be carved on a stele erected in Nokratzha, on the banks of the Anu Canal. " The inscription on the stele found in the Abukir Bay differs only in the last sentence, which says: “And His Majesty said:“Let this be carved on the stele,installed at the entrance to the Greek sea in Heraklion-Tronis”.
Among other finds are three magnificent statues of ancient deities made of pink granite, by the way, perfectly preserved. Two depict a pharaoh unknown to science and his wife, and the third statue is the Egyptian god of the Nile flood named Hapi. Unfortunately, the deity did not protect Heraklion from a natural disaster.
Remains of ships were also found at the bottom of Abukir Bay. Apparently, at the fateful moment, when the elements hit the city, they were moored in the bay of Heraklion. In addition, archaeologists have discovered many coins, vases, dishes, incense burners, and jewelry.
All this confirms the fact that the ancient city existed. Only one thing is surprising: why is there not a single mention of the terrible cataclysm in the works of ancient historians? This question remains unanswered. Or maybe not all the archives have been examined yet?
Lyubov SHAROVA