Naukratis is investigated by British Museum specialists

In the Nile Delta, nearby the villages of farmers Abu Rashwan and Mishfa, there is an ancient lake inhabited by countless egrets. Under this lake there are the Naukratis ruins, a town founded by the Greeks, who acted as a commercial port in the ancient times around 620 BC.

A team of specialists from the British Museum investigates this aria carefully, as this is considered to be one of the most exciting discoveries of the recent years. Archaeologists believe that the sunken city of Naukratis is the Hong Kong of the ancient world, even though it takes a real effort of imagination to place the flourishing town in the area, before being abandoned in the seventh century.

Naukratis was the home to over 16,000 people; a city imbued of temples of Greek Gods such as Hera and Aphrodite, but dominated by a vast sanctuary dedicated to the supreme Egyptian deity, Ra.

All merchants who had businesses over the Mediterranean Sea, going to or from Egypt were forced to pass through Naukratis. They were selling oil and wine, and those who wanted to continue their journey on the Nile to the Port-Heracleion Thonis, were required to pay a fee. For merchants and not only for them, city was also famous for its beautiful courtesans. There is the story about the Greek poet Sappho’s brother, Charax, who was in love with the beautiful courtesan Rhodopis. Charax bought her from its owner and married her.

Naukratis was partially excavated in 1880, when archaeologist Flinders Petrie found an inscription written in ancient Greek. There were found shards of amphora, bowls for sauces and other objects, all considered to be Egyptian pottery. At a first glance one would say that it was a Greek colony, but experts assure that Naukratis was a Greek city.

 

Photo source: theguardian.com