From an entire port city that disappeared in the Nile to a long lost submarine, here
are 9 mysterious archaeological discoveries found underwater!
9.
Stele Of Thonis-Heracleion
Around 440 B.C., the Ancient Greek author Herodotus wrote about a coastal city at the
edge of ancient Egypt that gazed upon the ships as they arrived from the mediterranean.
It was one of the greatest port cities on Earth but one day it was gone.
Was it a real place or was it like the mythical city of Atlantis?
After years and years of searching the mouth of the Nile, it was found!!
French archaeologist Franck Goddio discovered its submerged remains in 2000 in Abu Qir Bay
off Egypt’s north coast.
Divers found a fragment of rock in the murky waters and then began pulling up more and
more artifacts!
Among the ruins, Goddio’s team found a large inscribed stone referring to the town as Thonis.
Until then, researchers widely believed that Thonis and Heracleion were different places,
but the hieroglyphics prove that they were one, with the Greeks calling the city Heracleion
and the Egyptians calling it Thonis.
Commissioned by Pharaoh Nectanebo I, who reigned from 378 to 362 B.C., the stele of Thonis-Heracleion
is the twin of another found at Naucratis.
The two are identical, minus the column identifying the name of the place each one was in.
The tablet’s decree states that 10 percent of all taxes from both local production and
imports must go toward a temple dedicated to the Egyptian deity Neith at Sais, in the
eastern Nile Delta of Lower Egypt.
Divers at Heracleion also found a nearly 18-foot-tall (5.4 meters), 6.6-ton (6 metric tons) red
granite statue of Hapy, a divine personification of Nile floods.
Dating back to the fourth century B.C., it’s the largest known example of a Hapy statue.
They also found ruins of temples, shards of pottery, precious jewellery, coins, oil lamps,
processional barges and many other statues.
During the 2nd century B.C., Thonis-Heracleion experienced an earthquake that liquefied the
ground beneath it, causing the city to sink into the sea.
And until its relatively recent rediscovery, experts were left to wonder if it was purely
mythical in nature.
8.
Swedish Atlantis
While working in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast in 2014, a team of divers discovered
a submerged cache of rare Stone Age artifacts that was later dubbed ‘Sweden’s Atlantis.’
Ancient nomads left the site and its contents behind roughly 11,000 years ago when they
abandoned what may be one of the oldest Nordic settlements ever found.
Wood and flint tools, carvings, animal horns, ropes, and bones from aurochs, an ancestor
of modern-day cattle, were all present at the site, where they sat in a black gel-like
sediment called gyttja.
Made from decaying peat, the substance buried the objects shortly after they were deposited,
keeping them remarkably preserved for divers to find now!
The incredible thing is that if this entire place had been on land, everything would have
been based on the stone, nothing organic would have been preserved, but here there is a chance
that more of the ancient settlement can be uncovered.
Archaeologists hope to find nearby burials, which would indicate that the site was an
actual settlement, rather than a temporary camp.
Under these unique conditions its possible for skeletons thousands of years old to be
preserved.
Despite its nickname, ‘Sweden’s Atlantis’ is not the fabled civilization Plato wrote
about, as experts were quick to point out following its discovery.
Just in case anyone was confused!
7.
LONG LOST SUBMARINE
In April 1942, the British submarine HMS Urge vanished off the coast of Malta after a series
of successes taking down enemy warships.
As Italian and German forces intensified their campaigns against the British naval port,
the vessel and several warships were ordered to head to Egypt.
But the HMS Urge never arrived at Alexandria, and the 44 people aboard were reported missing
at sea.
Belgian diver Jean-Pierre Misson claimed in 2015 to have found the wrecked submarine off
the Libyan coast, and argued that Italian planes had sunk it in a secret mission.
If Misson’s assertions were true, it would’ve meant that the HMS Urge was far off course
when it sank, giving rise to conspiracy theories about the submarine’s captain ignoring orders
and about an alleged cover-up of a secret mission it was conducting when it went down.
Archaeologists recently refuted Misson’s claims after repeated dives to a submarine
wreck about six miles (10 km) east of Malta confirmed that it was the long lost HMS Urge.
They presented pretty convincing evidence, too, as the vessel’s name was embossed on
its conning tower and a three-dimensional scan of its hull matches the missing vessel’s
measurements.
Speaking with Live Science, archaeologist Timmy Gambin said the submarine’s identity
is now “100 percent confirmed.”
It appears as though the HMS Urge encountered a naval mine placed by a German warship, blasting
a hole through the vessel’s pressure hull.
This would have caused the submarine to fill rapidly with water and plunge to the seafloor,
according to Gambin.
He hopes to disprove Misson’s outlandish claims once and for all by showing that the
HMS Urge did not sink off North Africa.
6.
Submerged Settlement
Earlier this year, a team of archaeologists working in Lucerne, Switzerland spotted old
piles of mud-encrusted wood while assisting with the installation of a pipeline at the
bottom of Lake Lucerne.
Situated at least 13 feet (4 meters) below the water’s surface, the site also contains
pottery shards and the remains of stilts that once supported houses.
Samples from the sunken village were radiocarbon dated back to around 1,000 B.C., during the
Bronze Age, proving that the city was settled 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The shocking discovery adds a totally unexpected new chapter to Lucerne’s history..
Until now, researchers could only definitively trace the city’s founding back 800 years,
but they long suspected that it dated back much further.
Until the 15th century, Lake Lucerne’s water levels were much lower than they are now.
Around that time, a series of natural events and human activities caused the water to rise
and consume the village, which once likely sat on the lakeside.
A layer of mud concealed signs of the village until the beginning of the pipeline project,
which offered archaeologists a chance to finally examine the lakebed in detail.
5.
PORT OF AMATHUS
The Port of Amathus was an artificial harbor that was likely built during the third or
fourth century B.C. near the modern-day city of Limassol in what is now southern Cyprus.
Described by experts as “an impressive but short-lived large public port project of the
Hellenistic period, which may never have been completed,” it contains three piers made
from large carved rectangular stones, which were built to protect ships from strong winds.
Today, the ancient port’s outer harbor sits 13 feet (4 meters) underwater and extends
328 feet (100 meters) from the shore.
Sadly, it appears as though the site was never used for its intended purpose, and the area
was abandoned entirely by the sixth century A.D. most likely due to Arab raids, although
archaeologists admittedly don’t know for sure why residents fled Amathus.
A team from the French Archaeological Mission of Amathus led by Dr. Jean-Yves Empereur first
excavated the submerged site in the 1980s.
In 2005, an artificial reef was established among the ruins, and it has since caused great
stress to the structures, according to an academic paper written by Maria Ktori from
the University of Cyprus.
Now, officials want to turn the site into an underwater park.
The plan is causing tensions between those concerned about the harbor’s preservation
and those worried about the proposed removal of a protected marine plant called Neptune
grass.
Authorities are pushing forward with the plans and have promised the public that they will
protect the plant, which is vital to aquatic ecosystems in the Mediterranean, as well as
the submerged ruins.
4.
ABORIGINAL SETTLEMENTS
Archaeologists discovered the first known examples of submerged Aboriginal settlements
while working off the Australian coast last year.
Constructed on dry land in the country’s northwestern region, the two sites slowly
sank into the ocean toward the end of the last Ice Age amid rising sea levels.
One settlement, located off the Dampier Archipelago, contains hundreds of stone tools, including
mullers and grinding stones, which were found just eight feet (2.4 meters) below the water’s
surface.
The other site, which sits 46 feet (14 meters) below sea level, yielded at least one stone
cutting tool made from locally sourced materials.
Radiocarbon dating showed that both settlements are at least 7,000 years old.
The timing makes sense.
Humans first arrived in Australia around 65,000 years ago, when sea levels were much lower
than they are now.
As the climate cooled and the planet entered its most recent Ice Age, these levels fell
even more.
At the Ice Age’s peak around 20,000 years ago, sea levels were around 427 feet (130
meters) below where they currently stand.
Between 18,000 and 8,000 years ago, global temperatures once again began to rise, and
the ocean swallowed up dry land along the coastline, submerging the two recently discovered
sites.
The settlements were significant to the people who used them, who lived along the coast after
traveling to Australia from what is now Indonesia by boat.
Scientists believe there are more underwater Aboriginal sites waiting to be found, and
that studying them will provide key insight into unanswered questions about the movement
and history of prehistoric humans.
3.
Ancient Rock
Late last year, a coalition of Native American tribal citizens and activists from Michigan
found what they believe are ancient rock formations in the Straits of Mackinac.
The last time the sites were above water was around 10,000 years ago, near the end of the
last Ice Age.
These discoveries contradict the findings of a consulting firm that allegedly found
no signs of significant cultural resources ahead of a planned project to replace an aging
pipeline known as Line 5 under the direction of the Enbridge Energy company.
In response to the possible presence of submerged archaeological sites, Indigenous communities,
activists, and field experts are calling for an end to the project.
University of Michigan archaeologist John O’Shea is among those who are growing increasingly
worried about the potential loss of history and heritage.
While working on Lake Huron in 2009, he discovered sunken formations similar to those recently
found in the Straits of Mackinac, as well as evidence of prehistoric campsites containing
evidence of caribou hunting.
Speaking with the Detroit Metro Times, he said that if the proposed pipeline project
moves forward, the archaeological ruins would be “obliterated without a trace.”
Consequently, the Line 5 project is currently caught in the throes of contentious court
battles between those who are calling for further investigation of the suspected ruins
and Enbridge Energy, which asserts that its operations comply with safety standards and
do not jeopardize any possible underwater ruins.
The company recently continued operating its existing old pipeline after receiving a shutdown
order from the government, showing that it refuses to go down without a fight.
Should things continue on their current trajectory, researchers may never get the chance to study
the submerged sites that could prove integral to understanding the movement and culture
of ancient people in North America.
Just like with the underwater Aboriginal settlements from Australia, it would be great for the
United States to also look to see what ancient people left behind!
2.
ROME’S “SIN CITY”
Situated next to an active volcano in what is now Italy’s Bay of Naples, Baia was once
an upscale resort town whose vacationers included some of the biggest names in Roman history,
such as Nero, Cicero, Septimius Severus, Caesar, and more.
It was famous for both its medicinal hot springs and as a haven of vice, where the rich and
powerful indulged in heavy drinking, lustful encounters, and other forms of debauchery.
Between 100 B.C. and 500 A.D., wealthy Romans treated Baia as their playground.
But volcanic activity eventually laid claim to the site, causing its lower portion to
sink into the sea.
Then, during the eighth century, a Muslim army sacked the city which, by then, had lost
nearly all its lower portion to the sea.
Recurrent malaria prompted residents to flee for good by the year 1500.
Excavations have uncovered layers of temples, villas, Roman baths, and other buildings,
as well as sculptures and vividly colored mosaics that have somehow withstood the test
of time in their watery grave.
Around 90 percent of Baia’s sunken ruins are still a mystery, and ongoing volcanic
and seismic activity are threatening to destroy the ancient city for good.
What’s now underwater once consisted of 400 acres (162 hectares) of luxury spas and
villas that have yet to be fully explored, and if researchers don’t race against the
clock to get the job done, these valuable ancient structures and artifacts may be lost
to history.
1.
ATLIT-YAM
Atlit-Yam is an ancient fishing settlement off Israel’s Carmel Coast dating back between
6900 and 6300 B.C. Discovered in 1984 by marine archaeologist Ehud Galili, it sits 33 feet
(10 meters) underwater and is one of the world’s best-preserved underwater prehistoric sites,
offering a rare glimpse at Pre-Pottery Neolithic society.
Spanning roughly 10 acres (4 hectares), the site contains houses, graves, human burials,
and a semicircular arrangement of seven stone monoliths that once surrounded a spring, representing
the earliest known man-made freshwater wells.
Scientists also uncovered the remains of 100 plant species, including both harvested and
collected species, as well as wild and domestic fish and animal bones.
Atlit-Yam’s residents lived to 50 years old on average -- which is impressive for
the time -- and enjoyed good health, perhaps owing to their balanced and varied diets.
But the society faced challenges, including disease.
The human remains found at the site bear the earliest known evidence of tuberculosis, proving
that the disease is at least 3,000 years older than researchers previously believed, and
they also suffered from malaria and an ear condition related to cold-water diving.
For reasons that experts can’t seem to agree on, Atlit-Yam was abruptly abandoned.
Possible factors include a volcanic eruption in the Mediterranean, a tsunami, and rising
sea levels.
Evidence shows that chronic flooding hit the region around 9,000 years ago, and Atlit-Yam’s
fate serves as an ominous example of what modern coastal communities may face as today’s
sea levels continue to rise.
Thanks for watching!
If you enjoyed today’s video, be sure to give it a thumbs-up, and don’t forget to
subscribe!
Bye for now!