Egypt’s Sunken Cities

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities

Don’t worry, there’s still time to visit Egypt’s Sunken Cities at the Minneapolis Institute of Art if you haven’t seen it yet! Keep reading for a little more background about the exhibit and a sneak peek at some of the impressive artifacts in the collection.

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Colossal Statue of the God Hapy

In 2000, underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team discovered the ancient Egyptian port cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, which had been swallowed up by the Mediterranean Sea more than 1,200 years ago. The team excavated numerous artifacts from the lost cities including, towering statues (like the 17-foot-tall “Colossal Statue of the God Hapy,” pictured above), granite sphinxes, magnificent gold coins from the Byzantine and Islamic periods, jewelry, a granite shrine and more, all of which are currently on display throughout the gallery. And while there is an impressive amount of artifacts in the current exhibit, only an estimated 5% of Thonis-Heracleion has been discovered.

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Sphinx

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Naos of Amun-Gereb

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Head of Serapis with Kalathos

Unlike the museum’s previous exhibit, Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty, which was highly experiential, Egypt’s Sunken Cities is very text heavy so be prepared to stop and read about each individual artifact as you make your way through the gallery. I would highly recommend visiting the exhibit during the week, if possible, and avoiding peak times on the weekends. The ticketed time slots do help with crowd control, but only so much as new groups are constantly filing in every 15 minutes.

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Gold Figure and Ewer

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Egypt's Sunken Cities, Osiris-Canopus

Aside from the crowds, the exhibit was very interesting and worth checking out. The exhibit runs through Sunday, April 14, and while tickets are still available ($20 general admission/$16 MIA members), I imagine they will start to sell out quickly. // https://new.artsmia.org/

Have you checked out the exhibit? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!