This Week In History News, Sept. 17 – 23

Published September 22, 2023

Sunken temple discovered near Egypt, ancient tomb uncovered in Japan, 2,500-year-old canoe found in Switzerland.

Sunken Temple Dedicated To The Greek Goddess Aphrodite Found Off The Coast Of Egypt

Relics At Heracleion

Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation/Christoph GerigkIn addition to uncovering the remains of two temples, divers found a wealth of artifacts including silver ritual instruments, gold jewelry, and alabaster containers for perfumes.

Marine archaeologists exploring the remains of the sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt just made a series of discoveries that are shedding further light on this lost metropolis.

Divers uncovered enormous blocks of stone that once made up the mighty temple of Amun, the Egyptian god of the air, a sacred site where pharaohs would travel to have the power to rule bestowed upon them. Meanwhile, researchers found a 2,500-year-old Greek temple to Aphrodite along with a host of bronze and ceramic artifacts.

Learn more about these incredible discoveries here.

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An Ancient Japanese Tomb Was Just Discovered Under A Parking Lot Shrub

Parking Lot Shrub

Ikaruga Municipal Board of EducationThis parking lot shrub long concealed a sixth-century tomb.

For years, people walking across a parking lot in Nara, Japan, didn’t give the shrub a second glance. It was merely there to beautify the space. But archaeologists working on excavating the grounds of the nearby Horyuji Temple, a World Heritage site, have determined that the shrub was actually planted atop a sixth-century Japanese tomb.

Dig deeper in this report.

An Enormous 2,500-Year-Old Canoe Was Just Recovered From A Swiss Lake In Remarkable Condition

Swiss Canoe Recovery

Cantonal Archaeology of VaudThe ancient canoe being recovered from a Swiss lake by archaeologists.

A huge and mostly intact canoe was just retrieved from the bottom of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. In 2021, archaeologists were surveying the lake using a small plane when they noticed an unusual shape in the water, later finding that it was an ancient canoe. Now, they’ve pulled up the large canoe that’s estimated to be 2,500 years old.

Read on here.

author
All That's Interesting
author
Established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together a dedicated staff of digital publishing veterans and subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science. From the lesser-known byways of human history to the uncharted corners of the world, we seek out stories that bring our past, present, and future to life. Privately-owned since its founding, All That's Interesting maintains a commitment to unbiased reporting while taking great care in fact-checking and research to ensure that we meet the highest standards of accuracy.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.