Before Alexandria, there was Heracleion. For centuries, it was considered a myth—until a team of underwater archaeologists found it 30 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea in 2000.
A Sunken Metropolis
The city was Egypt’s primary port for international trade. Divers have recovered massive statues of pharaohs, gold jewelry, and over 60 shipwrecks, all preserved in the silt for over 1,200 years.
Why Did It Sink?
Geologists believe a combination of earthquakes and tsunamis caused the unstable clay soil to undergo ‘liquefaction’, causing the entire city to slide into the sea in a single catastrophic event.