Egyptian underwater treasures exhibited for the first time

Spectacular ancient Egyptian treasures are to be exhibited for the first time having been discovered underwater in the submerged ruins of the near-legendary cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus., according to Guardian report.

A finely sculpted statuette of a pharaoh and a golden-eyed depiction of god Osiris are among antiquities to be unveiled in a major exhibition in Paris from September 2015.

Across a vast site in Aboukir Bay near Alexandria, the seabed has been giving up secrets from a lost world in an excavation led by Franck Goddio, a French marine archaeologist. Goddio’s initial discovery of the site in 2000 was one of the greatest archaeological finds of recent times.

Goddio said that there are also unique artifacts “not known before and not represented in any museum,” such as ritual ceremonial barges. Other finds include a highly realistic black granite priest’s head, and a ceramic depicting the fearsome god Bes, who protected against evil forces with grotesque dances and grimacing.

The exhibition, titled “Osiris, Sunken Mysteries of Egypt”, will feature more than 290 artifacts. It will be staged at the Arab World Institute in Paris – headed by Jack Lang, France’s former minister of culture – from 8 September until 31 January.

Film footage will recreate the underwater atmosphere of the sunken sites. “It will be a very special experience for the visitor,” Goddio said.