An Ancient City Is Discovered Underwater. What They Found Will Change History Forever

Sunken Skyz blog ^ | December 1, 2013

[mrsmith]

http://canadajournal.net/science/egypt-heracleion-sea-mediterranean-1200-years-photo-1499-2013/
Has short underwater video.
“like the Rosetta Stone, those steles found beneath the waters of Aboukir Bay are inscribed in Greek and Egyptian... It appears that Heracleion faded in importance in the later classical period, eclipsed by its neighbouring city of Alexandria, which became the capital of Egypt in 312BC.
Still, Heracleion lingered on, later under Roman control, until it slipped into its watery grave some time in the 6th or 7th century AD.”

[Windflier]

I’ve read that periodically sections of the Egyptian coastline slide into the Mediterranean. Earthquakes.

I realized that subsidence due to earthquakes was the likely culprit after I posted my question. I really shouldn't post when I'm half asleep :-)

[1010RD]

and kept the water in tubs and amphorae and such.

[Gator113]

Amazing stuff!!

[Conservative4Ever]

Thank you for that explanation. In your expert opinion, that ancient tablet with the hieroglyphics, was that considered skin cut? I assume weathering is a big factor in the damage done to lets say a headstone. I remembering seeing very weathered headstones in cemetaries in new England and barely able to read them. They looked to have been cut deeper that the depth you related. Or monuments for that matter. I find the subject interesting. Oh one other point...ancient stone carvings, runes, that look to be embossed, raised letters/symbols. How us that done. If the explanation is to long, reference to an article or book would be appreciated. Thank you again for the information.

[Betis70]

Thought the same thing when seeing that caption.

Great links in this thread, fascinating stuff. I am most impressed by the granite tablet with the inscriptions. Looks brand-new.

[Political Junkie Too]

It does look like the coastline just fell away, and the land collapsed around the city.

-PJ

[trisham]

Amazing.

[Betis70]

A lot of the New England headstones were made out of sandstone. Easy to carve, easy to weather. Locally (I’m in CT) a number were made out of ‘Portland Brown’ a sandstone well known to people who live in NYC and quarried at a site about 10 miles from where I live. Sandstone is a sedimentary rock.

This is granite and granite is an igneous rock. One was produced by processes at the surface of the earth (sandstone), the other by volcanic processes deep in the earth (igneous).

You can easily cut sandstone with a cold chisel. But that means it is also easy to weather. If you get a small fissure in the headstone and you have quick freeze-thaw, as happens pretty often around here in Nov-Dec and late Feb-Mar, you get some physical weathering where the ice expands and makes a bigger fissure. And of course all that rain also affects the weathering (chemical), along with pollution either from lots of wood burning or coal or cars or Krakatoa blowing its top.

But granite and most igneous rocks are tough to physically weather (or physically inscribe), and chemical weathering, while it happens, does so on a time scale we humans would have trouble noticing.

[Revolting cat!]

If the city was underwater wouldn’t everyone be wet all the time....?

True, but like fish they wouldn't know they're wet.

[greeneyes]

LOL. I was thinking about that too. Maybe due to methane gas produced by oxen used to pull carts? I know cows produce methane gas, because a US government grant was used to study how much gas was in a cow patty.LOL

[Flying Circus]

By rights much of New Orleans should be underwater, but our engineering capabilities and national sense of nostalgia keep it out of the drink.

[dead]

Easily the most genie-containing lamp every photographed.

[Revolting cat!]

And you all thought that Atlantis was science finction! Wait till the scientists discover UFOs in ocean depths.

[Conservative4Ever]

Thank you for your full, knowledgable and interesting explanation. :-)

[Billthedrill]

There’s a picture of some Heracleionites in post 24. Apparently they all wore wet suits.

[TalBlack]

Technically, being cut with a hammer and chisel the pictured tablet is probably ‘V’ cut. But notice that the original polish appears to be intact. Even if the letters were ‘skin cut’ with sandblast they would still be perfectly readable since the darkening caused by the polishing of the surface is what creates the contrast that makes the letter easily visible.

The polish on a stone has zero thickness it is simply an EXTREMELY flat uniform surface created by rubbing. Since the stone is still so dark looking where it has not been cut weathering in this case is VERY minimal. The stone, when weathered or smoothed but NOT polished is actually ash grey.

Jet Black granite is heaver and harder than the industry standard Barre Grey. Some of the denser examples ring like a bell when struck with a rubber mallet.

[TalBlack]

The Portland brown is good looking in construction but useless as a lasting memorial. I think it needs some kind of surface coat that can come off in a century or so. The entire gate of The Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn New York was made with that or something enough like it to not matter. It is periodically resurfaced (or something) to keep it from crumbling.

There are a fair amount of tombstones made with it here and what ever it is that the letters are cut into shears off in slabs in spots. The stone underneath is a lighter brown. I’ve never been quite sure what it (the surface)is.

[Betis70]

You are most welcome. I used to be an archaeologist working here in New England, but took a number of geology classes too. Very interesting science, makes you realize just how insignificant our little civilizations are in the life=span of the earth.