Until the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.E., Herakleion was the largest harbor in ancient Egypt. Hercules supposedly changed the course of the Nile River at this site. Located at the mouth of the Canopus branch of the Nile, the port city steadily declined in importance until about 800 C.E. when a massive earthquake sent Herakleion and the nearby cities of Canopus and Menouthis sliding into the sea. Until recently what little information archaeologists had on the three cities was derived from Greek tragedies and legends. However, in 2000 C.E. an underwater search approximately four miles off the coast of Egypt revealed the site of the ancient harbor. Archeologists have discovered temples, foundations, and ten sunken ships in water roughly twenty to thirty feet deep. Among the artifacts recovered thus far are statues of Hapi, the god...