Mission Report 2005

Canopus
An important mission was performed on the eastern site of the sunken city of Canopus. The team excavated further monuments from the late pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine periods. The work has brought important information concerning the shape of the various monuments, as well as their respective occupation periods. Very interesting artefacts were retrieved such as coins with the profile of Cleopatra VII (the great Cleopatra), as well as elements of temple doors and numerous ceramics.

The map of East Canopus site is now precise and shows the establishment of the various buildings erected there over time. This work required a team of 22 persons working on site over a full month.

Another interesting result is that the team now pinpointed the arrival point of the famed channel to Canopus which once linked the cities of Canopus and Heracleion. It was, most probably, extended during Ptolemaic times towards Alexandria bearing the name then of the Canopic channel.

Heracleion-Thõnis
During the excavation work done in East Canopus, a survey team performed an additional, and very detailed, electronic survey north of the city.

Magnetic abnormalities seem to show that the sunken city could extend much further north. It could be that remains of that ancient town, controlling the entrance to the Nile, are actually lying in that direction under 6 metres of sand.