Ancient artifacts of sunken city likely destroyed by earthquake or tsunami plucked from seafloor

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Ancient artifacts dating back to a sunken city from more than 2,000 years ago were pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, according to Egyptian officials.

The historic treasures — which included a statue of a sphinx, Roman coins and other relics— were brought to shore by archaeologists and divers from the waters of Abu Qir Bay near the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, The Associated Press reported.

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The relics came from a site that may have been an extension of Canopus, an ancient city that existed during the Ptolemaic dynasty as well as the Roman Empire, news outlet Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Divers watch as a crane pulls an artifact from the waters at Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria, Egypt, Thursday, as part of an event organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to recover sunken antiquities. (Khaeld Desouki/AFP via Getty Images)

“These artifacts date back to ancient periods, dating back to the Ptolemaic era, immediately after the construction of the city of Alexandria, and extending to the Roman era,” Mohamed Ismail, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told AFP.

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All the statues are missing their heads and feet — damage that Ismail attributes to a natural disaster such as a tsunami or earthquake, according to AFP.

A crane pulls an artifact from the waters at Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria, Egypt, Thursday, as part of an event organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to recover sunken antiquities.  (Khaeld Desouki/AFP via Getty Images)

“These artifacts confirm that this place was once a fully integrated residential city and that the current location was a port,” Ismail added. “These pieces indicate that Alexandria was submerged in water as a result of a major earthquake or tsunami, and therefore all the statues are missing their heads and feet.”

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Alexandria, the second-largest city in Egypt, contains a wealth of historic ruins but is slowly sinking due to rising sea levels. One-third of the city will be uninhabitable by 2050, AFP reported, citing forecasts from the United Nations.

An ancient artifact is retrieved from the seabed at Abu Qir port in Alexandria, Egypt, Thursday. (Gehad Hamdy/picture alliance via Getty Images)

In a similar find, Egyptian officials announced earlier this year the discovery of a 3,000-year-old mining complex, complete with remnants of ancient homes, workshops and even baths.

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The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Sophia Compton is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.