A tantalizing trove of treasure from a 2,000-year-old underwater city was pulled from the sea off the coast of Egypt Thursday, much to the delight of art and history buffs.
The ancient artifacts — including statues of a sphinx and a pharaoh — from the long-submerged city of Canopus were lifted by crane from the shallow waters of Abu Qir Bay, Egyptian officials said.
“There’s a lot underwater, but what we’re able to bring up is limited. It’s only specific material according to strict criteria,” Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s tourism and antiquities minister, told reporters, according to NBC.
“The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage,” Fathi said.
The artifacts were from the sunken city of Canopus. AFP via Getty ImagesThe pre-Roman gems also include a part of a nobleman’s likeness carved from marble and a Ptolemaic figure made of granite.
The sunken city was a prominent hub of culture during the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years, along with the Roman empire, which was in power for 600 years.
Artifacts, including a statue of a sphinx and a nobleman, were pulled from the Abu Qir Bay. AFP via Getty ImagesThe once-bustling metropolis was swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea over time due to earthquakes and rising sea levels.
Egypt signed a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contract in 2001, limiting the retrieval of submerged artifacts.
The artifacts include a part of a nobleman’s likeness carved from marble and a Ptolemaic figure made of granite. AFP via Getty Images
Divers transport an artifact to land at Abu Qir bay in Alexandria. AFP via Getty ImagesThe value of the artifacts and where they would be displayed wasn’t immediately clear Friday.
