Underwater Myths & Legends Uncovered: Drain the Oceans | MEGA EPISODE | National Geographic

Key Concepts

• Heracleion: A lost ancient Egyptian city, a major center for international trade and pharaonic coronations, believed to have disappeared 2,000 years ago.
• Franck Goddio: An archaeologist leading the underwater expedition to find Heracleion.
• Abu Qir Bay: The location off the coast of Alexandria where the search for Heracleion is concentrated.
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Probes & High Resolution Sonar Scanners: Technologies used for underwater archaeological surveys.
• Limestone Blocks: Initial evidence of man-made structures found beneath the seabed, indicating an important site.
• Sphinxes: Carved black granite statues of a man's face and a lion's body, found leading to a temple, signifying ancient Egyptian monumentality.
• Temple of Amun-Gareb: The identified temple, also known as the Temple of Heracles, where pharaohs received their right to rule.
• Amun-Gareb: The Egyptian god who legitimized pharaonic rule.
• Heracles: The Greek god to whom the temple in Heracleion was also dedicated.
• Ptolemaic Period (305-30 BC): The era to which the temple and its statues are dated, coinciding with Heracleion's supposed existence.
• Hieroglyphs: Ancient Egyptian writing found on a shrine, confirming the temple's dedication.
• Stela: A stone slab with inscriptions, crucial for identifying the temple's dual dedication.
• Mud Brick & Wood: Materials used for palaces and other buildings in Heracleion, which likely disintegrated underwater, unlike stone temples.
• High Resolution Sub Bottom Profiler: Technology used to detect wood and mud brick beneath the seabed.
• Wooden Shipwrecks: Discovered in Abu Qir Bay, providing evidence of the city's port activities.
• Acacia Wood: The material used for a discovered Egyptian ship, indicating it was likely a local vessel.
• Ship Worms: Marine mollusks that prey on wooden ships, their absence on a discovered ship suggesting it was a riverine vessel.
• Baris: Ancient Egyptian river trading barges, described by Herodotus, matching the design of a discovered ship.
• Ancient Anchors: Over 700 discovered, indicating a busy port and anchorage.
• Liquefaction: A geological process triggered by earthquakes where saturated sediment loses strength and behaves like a liquid, causing ground collapse.
• Black Sea: A unique body of water with an anoxic layer that preserves shipwrecks exceptionally well.
• Sinop D: A remarkably preserved 5th-6th century AD Roman/Byzantine shipwreck found in the Black Sea's anoxic layer.
• Amphoras: Clay jars used as cargo, crucial for dating shipwrecks.
• Byzantine Empire: The Eastern Roman Empire, which flourished with trade facilitated by ships like Sinop D.
• Yenikapi Shipwrecks: A collection of Byzantine-era shipwrecks in Istanbul, providing context for Sinop D's shipbuilding techniques.
• Edge Joinery vs. Frame Construction: Two distinct shipbuilding techniques, with Sinop D representing a transitional phase.
• Ottoman Empire: A powerful empire that controlled the Black Sea, with a significant but archaeologically underrepresented navy.
• Nesim-i-Zafer: An Ottoman warship sunk in the Battle of Sinop (1853), identified as a wreck found by Yasar Tarakci.
• Copper Sheathing: An Ottoman shipbuilding innovation used to protect wooden hulls, confirming the Nesim-i-Zafer's era.
• U-23: A German World War II submarine, scuttled in the Black Sea, found by Selcuk.
• Type 2B U-boats: Smaller U-boats designed to navigate the Black Sea, requiring overland transport from Germany.
• Loch Ness Monster: The legendary creature inhabiting Loch Ness, Scotland.
• Munin: A robotic underwater vehicle used for high-resolution sonar scanning of Loch Ness.
• Coelacanth: A prehistoric fish thought to be extinct but rediscovered, serving as an analogy for potential undiscovered creatures.
• Nerpa Seal: A species of seal uniquely adapted to live in freshwater Lake Baikal, Russia.
• Lake Baikal: The world's oldest and deepest freshwater lake, providing insights into how marine animals might adapt to freshwater environments.
• Water Eddies: Spiraling currents in Lake Baikal that create large rings in the ice, potentially explaining some Loch Ness sightings.
• The Crusader: John Cobb's hydroplane that crashed in Loch Ness in 1952 while attempting a world water speed record.
• The Pansy: An ocean-going fishing boat that sank in Loch Ness, its engine providing a potential explanation for boat wakes.
• Caledonian Canal: A waterway linking Scottish lochs, allowing ocean-going vessels to enter Loch Ness.
• Beeswax Wreck: A legendary shipwreck off the Oregon coast, known for the beeswax that washes ashore.
• Santo Cristo de Burgos: Identified as the Beeswax Wreck, a 17th-century Spanish Manila galleon.
• Manila Galleons: Spanish ships that traded between Asia and the Americas, carrying goods like porcelain and beeswax.
• Tsunami: Underwater earthquakes that can cause massive waves, explaining the scattering of shipwreck debris.
• Tropical Hardwood: Wood used in shipbuilding, found in the timbers of the Beeswax Wreck, indicating its origin.
• Shipping Symbols: Marks found on beeswax and porcelain, identifying the origin and ownership of cargo.

Heracleion: The Lost City of Egypt

The Hunt for a Legendary Metropolis

The video begins by introducing Heracleion, a city described as the "New York City of ancient Egypt," a vital center for international trade, and a place of royal coronations and reverence for gods. Despite its historical significance, Heracleion vanished without a trace 2,000 years ago. Archaeologist Franck Goddio, believing that others failed by searching on land, embarked on one of the largest underwater archaeological expeditions ever undertaken, utilizing advanced technology to locate the lost city.

Narrowing the Search and Initial Discoveries

Franck and his team narrowed their search to a 40-square-mile area in the Bay of Abu Qir, east of modern-day Alexandria. Using nuclear magnetic resonance probes and high-resolution sonar scanners, they began a forensic search of the seabed. After four years of searching, Franck detected a change in magnetic readings, indicating disturbed sediment. This led to the discovery of a straight line, identified as a series of limestone blocks. The presence of limestone, not naturally found in the bay, confirmed it was man-made and suggested an important site, requiring significant expenditure of time, energy, and resources for its construction.

Unveiling the Temple and its Guardians

Further excavation revealed more limestone blocks, forming what appeared to be a wall and a structure the size of a city block. The discovery of seven black granite sphinxes, carved with the face of a man and the body of a lion, provided definitive proof of an ancient Egyptian monument. These sphinxes, symbols of protection, suggested the presence of a temple, potentially the fabled Temple of Heracles.

Identifying the Temple and its Deities

The team then uncovered parts of a huge statue, later identified as colossal human figures. Digitally reconstructing these figures revealed three statues, each over 16 feet high and weighing over 6 tons, depicting a pharaoh and his queen. Dr. Bob Bianchi, an Egyptologist, dated these statues to the Ptolemaic period (305-30 BC) by comparing their stylistic features, such as the Uraeus and navel shape, to known Ptolemaic pharaonic representations. This dating aligned with the historical period of Heracleion's supposed existence.

The crucial discovery came when Franck excavated the heart of the temple and uncovered a red granite pyramid-shaped shrine. Inscriptions on the shrine, deciphered as hieroglyphs, revealed its dedication: "I am the house of the God Amun-Gareb." This confirmed the temple as the place where Egyptian kings formally received their titles. Furthermore, a trilingual stela in the Cairo Museum stated that the Temple of Amun-Gareb was also the Temple of Heracles, providing the definitive link to the lost city.

Evidence of a Thriving Port City

Franck's data also revealed dozens of shipwrecks, forming the largest collection of ancient shipwrecks ever discovered. The locations of these wrecks and over 700 anchors mapped out the city's layout, revealing a central harbor interconnected by waterways and canals. This indicated a very active port that had been operational for centuries.

The discovery of artifacts, including pottery from 18 different Mediterranean locations, confirmed Heracleion as a thriving multicultural hub and a vital international trade center. These findings demonstrated a complex network of trade routes linking Heracleion to the rest of the Mediterranean, facilitating the flow of goods, ideas, and beliefs.

The Sacred Barge of Osiris

A unique shipwreck, made of sycamore wood and distinct from other vessels, was found near the temple. Its long, shallow, and beautifully crafted design, with a width of only 6 feet, suggested it was not for cargo or passengers. Egyptologist Arto Belekdanian identified it as a processional barge, used to carry the image of a god, based on similar depictions at the Temple of Philae. Miniature lead models of this ritual barge, found around the wreck, were identified as offerings to the god Osiris, ruler of the underworld. The deliberate sinking of this sacred barge, evidenced by saw marks on its hull, indicated it was intentionally given back to the god after its service in the annual festival for Osiris. The size of this barge suggested Heracleion was a significant sanctuary for Osiris worship.

The Catastrophic Demise of Heracleion

The city's disappearance was attributed to a catastrophic event. Human remains found trapped under a fallen block from the temple indicated a sudden disaster. Geologist Iain Stewart identified earthquakes as the likely trigger, given Heracleion's location on tectonic fault lines. However, the complete submersion of the city was explained by liquefaction. Seismic activity caused the waterlogged sediment beneath the city to lose its strength, erupting through the clay seabed, creating fissures, and causing the ground to collapse like quicksand. This process, similar to recent events in Indonesia, would have destabilized and engulfed the entire city, causing it to slide towards the sea and disappear beneath the waves.

Black Sea Secrets: Shipwrecks and Empires

The Anoxic Preservation of Ancient Vessels

The Black Sea's unique anoxic layer, devoid of oxygen from approximately 600 feet down, prevents the decay caused by shipworms, preserving ancient shipwrecks in remarkable condition. This environment has made it a treasure trove for underwater archaeologists.

Sinop D: A Window into the Byzantine Empire

In 2000, Robert Ballard's expedition discovered several shipwrecks near Sinop, including Sinop D, found in the anoxic layer. This 5th-6th century AD Roman/Byzantine shipwreck was unprecedentedly preserved, with its mast still standing and rope intact. Analysis of amphoras found on board dated the ship to the 5th and 6th centuries AD, placing it at a pivotal moment in history as the Roman Empire transitioned into the Byzantine Empire.

The discovery of 37 Byzantine shipwrecks at Yenikapi in Istanbul provided crucial context for Sinop D's shipbuilding techniques. Sinop D represented a transitional phase between earlier edge-joinery methods and later frame construction, indicating a shift towards cheaper and faster ship construction. This technological advancement likely contributed to the emergence of a middle class and the economic flourishing of the Byzantine Empire, with ships like Sinop D acting as "economic engines."

The Nesim-i-Zafer: A Witness to the Battle of Sinop

Yasar Tarakci, a diver in Sinop, discovered a remarkably preserved wooden wreck. Its copper sheathing confirmed it was from the Ottoman Empire. Historical research and a Russian battle chart from the Battle of Sinop (1853) identified the wreck as the Ottoman warship Nesim-i-Zafer, which was crippled and sank outside the harbor during the battle against the Russian Empire.

The U-23: A Scuttled Nazi Submarine

Selcuk, a shipwreck hunter, was contacted by Rudolph Arendt, the commander of the German World War II submarine U-23. Arendt provided a sketch of the bay where he scuttled his U-boat off the Black Sea coast of Agva in 1944 to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. After a 14-year search, the Turkish navy's sonar detected an anomaly, which an ROV confirmed as the U-23, a Type 2B U-boat. Examination of the wreck revealed evidence of a successful explosion at the stern, confirming Arendt's account of scuttling the submarine.

Loch Ness Monster: Myth or Reality?

The Enduring Mystery of Loch Ness

Loch Ness, a large freshwater lake in Scotland, is famously associated with the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Despite numerous sightings and expeditions, no definitive proof of the creature has ever been found.

Scientific Investigations and Explanations

• Geological History: Core samples from Loch Ness revealed that the lake was formed by ice 10,000 years ago, ruling out the possibility of dinosaurs, which went extinct long before.
• Marine Mammal Theory: Sightings resembling whales led to speculation that the monster could be a large marine mammal. However, the lack of a sea route to Loch Ness and the freshwater environment make this unlikely. The existence of freshwater seals in Lake Baikal, Russia, suggests adaptation is possible, but the need for air makes large marine mammals unlikely to remain hidden.
• Water Eddies and Wakes: The behavior of water in Loch Ness, influenced by wind and currents, can create phenomena that mimic monster sightings. Large, slow-moving waves, invisible from the surface, can cause objects to appear to move against the current. Boat wakes, especially from motor-powered vessels like the Pansy, can persist for hours in the calm waters of Loch Ness, creating the illusion of a humped creature.
• The Crusader Crash: The 1952 crash of John Cobb's hydroplane, The Crusader, was investigated. Analysis of footage revealed the boat hit waves, which were unexpected in calm conditions. The presence of the motor-powered fishing boat Pansy in Loch Ness suggests that boat wakes could have been a factor in the crash.
• The Pansy Wreck: The discovery of the Pansy, an ocean-going fishing boat retrofitted with an engine, provided evidence that boats could travel across Loch Ness even in calm weather, leaving persistent wakes.

Conclusion on the Loch Ness Monster

While the possibility of an unknown creature remains, scientific explanations involving water dynamics, boat wakes, and misidentification of natural phenomena are considered the most plausible explanations for many Loch Ness Monster sightings. The legend persists due to the enduring human fascination with mystery and the evocative nature of the Loch.

The Beeswax Wreck: Unraveling a Spanish Galleon

The Legend of the Beeswax Wreck

For over 200 years, the Oregon coast has yielded fragments of beeswax, porcelain, and timbers, fueling legends of a shipwreck. Local Native American oral histories and early settler accounts spoke of a large ship wrecking on the coast, with survivors and salvaged goods.

The Search for the Santo Cristo de Burgos

• Initial Clues: Beachcombers like Craig Andes found beeswax blocks with unique symbols, porcelain shards, and timbers in caves exposed at low tide. Laboratory analysis confirmed the beeswax originated from Southeast Asia and the porcelain was Chinese, dated to around 1690, predating European settlement.
• Spanish Connection: The symbols on the beeswax matched shipping marks found on Spanish cargo manifests, indicating a Spanish ship. The presence of Chinese porcelain suggested a Manila galleon, a Spanish ship that traded between Asia and the Americas.
• Geological Evidence: The discovery of shipwreck debris inland, above high tide marks, pointed to a tsunami as the cause of the wreck's dispersal. A tsunami in 1700 is known to have hit the Oregon coast.
• Identification: Combining historical records of lost Manila galleons before 1700 with the archaeological evidence, the ship was identified as the Santo Cristo de Burgos, which sank in 1693.
• Reconstruction and Discovery: Analysis of recovered timbers, compared to those from the San Diego (another Manila galleon), revealed the Santo Cristo de Burgos was a larger ship, estimated to be 130 feet long and 41 feet wide, weighing over 1,500 tons. The timbers, recovered from a cave at the base of a cliff, provided crucial evidence of the ship's construction and origin.

Conclusion on the Beeswax Wreck

The Beeswax Wreck, identified as the Santo Cristo de Burgos, represents a significant discovery, confirming a forgotten global trade route and providing tangible evidence of early Spanish maritime activity on the Pacific coast of North America. The efforts of dedicated individuals like Craig Andes, combined with scientific expertise, were crucial in piecing together the story of this lost galleon.