2001 Photo Contest, Science & Technology, 3rd prize
Photographer

Christoph Gerigk

Franck Goddio / Hilti Foundation / Discovery Channel

01 May, 1999

A diver surfaces with the head of Serapis, a sun god, dating from the Roman period. Over 2,000 years ago the port of Herakleion, at the mouth of the River Nile, was the maritime gateway to Egypt. Now the city lies beneath the waters of the Bay of Abukir of the Egyptian north coast. It is not yet known whether what caused Herakleion to sink was a cataclysmic or a gradual subsidence. The lost city was uncovered by Frank Goddio, founder of the European Institute of Underwater Archeology.

About the photographer

Christoph Gerigk

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