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Naukratis, the ancient Egyptian commercial hub was thought to be a small town located on the Nile Delta in Egypt. However, a recent excavation by British Musuem reveals that this city was in fact a major Greek trading hub. According to Dr. Ross Thomas, "indeed, Naukratis could potentially be considered the "Hong Kong of its era," as reported by the Guardian. The city was first located by British Archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1884 ""occupied a special place in the minds of scholars and a general public alike, speaking particularly to romantic minds," said the British Museum. The city of Naukratis has been excavated a number of times since the 19^th century. However, the latest excavation showed the evidence of a 1,000-year trading network that began in 7^th Century BC. In this site, more than 10,000 artifacts were discovered which was thought to have been fully exhausted of its archaeological finds that also incuded the relics belonging to the the festival of drunkenness and the Greek ships.

The latest findings are of crucial importance because until this moment, the experts thought that the city of Naukratis was only about 30 hectares. However, Thomas from British Museum explained that he believed that the city was at least twice that size. He also added. "We should imagine a mud-brick Manhattan, populated with tall houses and large sanctuaries, befitting a large cosmopolitan city," as per the Guardian

Naukratis was an important gateway of exchange, be it trade or cultural, between Egypt and Mediterranean. In Greek language, the name means "mistress of ships", said Quartz. Some of the finds include fragments of Greek vessels. "It's exceptionally rare," Thomas said. "To find them this far into Egypt is exciting."