A sunken sanctuary filled with ancient treasures was discovered in Egypt

08.10.2024/08/30 XNUMX:XNUMX    3419

While exploring a channel off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, underwater archaeologists discovered a sunken temple and sanctuary filled with ancient treasures, writes Success in UA.

The temple, partially collapsed "during the catastrophe" in the middle of the second century BC, was originally built for the god Amon. This is the ancient Egyptian god of the black sky, air. Later, during the New Kingdom - the god of the Sun (Amon-Ra). According to a statement from the European Institute of Underwater Archeology (IEASM), the pharaohs went to the temple "to receive from the supreme god of the ancient Egyptian pantheon the titles of their power as universal kings", reports cikavosti.com.

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The now derelict building was once part of the ancient port city of Tonis-Heraklion in the Gulf of Abu Kir. Now it is under water, about 7 km from the modern coast of Egypt. It was destroyed by a strong earthquake.

While exploring the temple, archaeologists unearthed many "treasures and secrets", IEASM representatives write, including silver ritual tools, gold ornaments and alabaster containers. They were once used to store perfumes or fatty ointments.

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Also at the site, divers discovered underground structures supported by "well-preserved wooden pillars and beams" dating back to the 5th century BC, the statement said.

"It is very moving to discover such fragile objects that have remained intact despite the brutality and scale of the cataclysm," said Franck Goddio, president of IEASM and the French underwater archaeologist who led the excavation.

To the east of the temple, archaeologists discovered a Greek sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and numerous artifacts, including imported bronze and ceramic objects.




"This shows that the Greeks, who were allowed to trade and settle in the city during the time of the pharaohs of the Saite dynasty [between 688 BC. and 525 m BC. e.], there were sanctuaries for their gods," the archaeologists write in a statement.