SUNKEN CITIES, EGYPT'S LOST WORLDS is an absolutely compelling guide to the once-thriving Egyptian cities that thrived over 1,2000 years ago at the edge of the Nile Delta and the beautiful artifacts that have been salvaged from those now-submerged sites. Part history guide, part archeology guide, this 2016 Thames & Hudson/British Museum release is as entertaining as it is educational.
SUNKEN CITIES was published in conjunction with a British Museum exhibition staged from May to November 2016. The book tops off at 272 pages and interweaves the history of the region and its leading cities of Canopus, Thonis-Heracleion and Naukratis with marvelous photographs and artwork showing what the ancient cities looked like along with the various statues, sculptures, shrines, amulets, coffins, sunken ships and other artifacts found underwater and now safely on exhibit. That area of ancient Egypt was a key trading spot where Egyptians and Greeks lived side-by-side, creating a society that mirrored both cultures.
The fascinating history related in the book is wonderfully complemented by hundreds of color photographs depicting artifacts in their watery graves and then restored and displayed for the exhibition. Visually, the book is a delight.
For anyone interested in Egypt culture and history, SUNKEN CITIES presents a heretofore unseen visual history to a long-lost civilization. Highly recommended.
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