Canopic Region

With the discovery of Heracleion and Canopus-East in the Bay of Aboukir, a lost history comes to light! These vast archaeological sites sunken centuries ago with their astonishing findings and mysterious remains unfold the richness of this ancient region and its people -- forgotten for many years!

|The History behind |

What happened

The Canopic region is only gradually releasing the secrets that the sea has been hiding for over thousand years. The texts of famous writers like Strabo and Herodotus tell us of this legendary region, but up until Franck Goddio started his archaeological surveys, not a scrap of evidence proved the existence of their descriptions on Heracleion and Canopus. The excavations have shown that the city possessed a grand temple dedicated to the Egyptian God Amon and his son Khonsou, Zeus and Heracles respectively. Heracleion was not only a flourishing port, but also the gateway to Egypt, long before Alexandria was founded. The suburb Canopus was known as city of sin and sanctuary: it was famous for its temples and oracles, and the wickedness of their commercial exploitation.

When in time

Truth and legend lie very close together in the antique sources about the existence of the region. Heracles was once to have subdued the river Nile here. Unfaithful Helena and her lover Paris were refused protection by the guardian of the Nile, Thonis. What we know for sure is that Heracleion was destroyed by several natural disasters, including an earthquake. The city was definitely lost by the end of the 8th century AD.

Where did it happen

Heracleion and Canopus are located in the Bay of Aboukir, Egypt, 6.5 km off the current coastline. With every mission, the region formerly inhabited proves to be larger than anticipated and new channels, construction and anomalies point towards new discoveries in the Mediterranean.