🧐 Ancient Beat #37: Ancient cats, mile-long tunnels, and protective tattoos
www.ancientbeat.com
A tunnel has been discovered beneath a temple in the ancient city of Taposiris Magna in Egypt. The tunnel is an incredible 4,281 feet long, which is about 1,000 feet shy of a mile. It is 6.6 feet tall, and it’s located 65 feet beneath the ground. It’s also an exact replica of Eupalinos in Greece, which is considered an engineering marvel. The tunnel was used to bring water to thousands of people when it was functional, sometime in the Ptolemaic period (304-30 BCE). Much of it is now underwater and/or destroyed by earthquakes. Two alabaster heads (an unidentified king and a high-ranking person), parts of statues of deities, and coins were also found within. And as I looked into this, I found a number of sources citing this as a tunnel that leads to Cleopatra’s tomb. This seems to be because the person who discovered it said that it’s a possibility, even if it’s unlikely. It has by no means been confirmed, and I think the coolness of this discovery stands on its own.
🧐 Ancient Beat #37: Ancient cats, mile-long tunnels, and protective tattoos
🧐 Ancient Beat #37: Ancient cats, mile-long…
🧐 Ancient Beat #37: Ancient cats, mile-long tunnels, and protective tattoos
A tunnel has been discovered beneath a temple in the ancient city of Taposiris Magna in Egypt. The tunnel is an incredible 4,281 feet long, which is about 1,000 feet shy of a mile. It is 6.6 feet tall, and it’s located 65 feet beneath the ground. It’s also an exact replica of Eupalinos in Greece, which is considered an engineering marvel. The tunnel was used to bring water to thousands of people when it was functional, sometime in the Ptolemaic period (304-30 BCE). Much of it is now underwater and/or destroyed by earthquakes. Two alabaster heads (an unidentified king and a high-ranking person), parts of statues of deities, and coins were also found within. And as I looked into this, I found a number of sources citing this as a tunnel that leads to Cleopatra’s tomb. This seems to be because the person who discovered it said that it’s a possibility, even if it’s unlikely. It has by no means been confirmed, and I think the coolness of this discovery stands on its own.