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Underwater visibility

Franck's team explains the weather's impact on the excavation work

"When people see the beautiful underwater photography that accompanies the exhibitions of artifacts that we recover during excavations, they remark that the visibility must always be good.

But in fact the normal visibility is generally poor, and sometimes downright bad. Like today, for example.…

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What everybody wants to know

We can talk about underwater archaeological tools and techniques all day long, but what everybody wants to know is...

..."what do you eat on board?"
Fortunately for us, we have a Chef de Cuisine on board. George loves to cook as much as we love to eat his meals, and his speciality is pastries. Thanks George! I hope we fit into our dive suits in the morning!

La question que tout le monde se pose...
Nous débattons…

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Getting to work in a Sunken City

Franck's team explains the daily routine at the excavation site

"Getting to work on time is rarely a problem here in Down Town Heracleion. Traffic at street level is sparse, with only about 15 commuters in the entire city. The fact that the city sank over a thousand years ago might have something to do with it.

So after meeting for morning coffee at our…

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Greetings from the excavation site in Egypt

Franck Goddio's Team is resuming excavations at Thonis-Heracleion

"We're all excited about this season's excavations and optimistic that there will be many remarkable new finds. The weather looks promising, but many people mistakenly believe that being just off the coast of Egypt the weather is always warm, or even hot. They might be surprised to see the divers…

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Interactive Map of Sunken City Heracleion

new website feature

An interactive map of the ancient sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion can now be explored here. The map was created from archaeological data generated from excavations at the site by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). It gives new insights into the discovered objects and…

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The Modern Explorers

Franck Goddio's expeditions are featured in a new Thames & Hudson book on contemporary explorers

What is left to explore on our planet in the twenty-first century? Through vivid, mostly first-hand, accounts we gain unique insight into challenging and epic journeys to some of the remotest parts of the planet in extremes of temperature, frequently alone and on the edge of danger. Dramatic…

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TV Documentary on Thonis-Heracleion

Premiers Saturday, 11 May 2013 on ArteReruns Sunday, 26 May at 3.25 pm on Arte

The TV documentary Egypt's Sunken City/ A Legend Is Revealed shows the rediscovery of the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion that submerged more than a 1,000 years ago, on Saturday, 11 May, at 8.15 pm (German)/ 8.45 pm (French) on Arte.

Thonis-Heracleion was the gateway to Egypt, the obligatory port…

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15-17 March 2013: OCMA Conference

Heracleion in context, the maritime economy of the Egyptian Late Period

Programme

The next OCMA conference will be held at Oxford University on 15 - 17 March 2013 on the topic "Heracleion in context: The maritime economy of the Egyptian Late Period". The purpose of the symposium is to explore the maritime trading economy of the Egyptian port of Thonis-Heracleion during…

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New book by the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology

The Decree of Saïs

Schöne Teller

Oxford University’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology (OCMA) has published a new book on Maritime Archaeology in the Canopic Region in Egypt. The volume by Anne-Sophie von Bomhard focuses on a stele found during underwater excavations in Aboukir Bay off the coast of Egypt, at the site of ancient…

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CLEOPATRA

EXHIBITION ON VIEW AT THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER, LOS ANGELES

The US west coast premiere of Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt featuring artefacts discovered by Franck Goddio and his team in cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities is on display at the California Science Center, Los Angeles, from 23 May 2012 on.

Tickets and…

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