Why Do the Gods Sleep With the Fishes?

Maybe it’s because, as my three year-old daughter says in response to practically all “why” questions directed her way, “That’s why.”

And then again, maybe not.  Actually, the gods in question are ancient Roman, Greek and Egyptian gods from the city of Herakleion, about 15 miles east of Alexandria, Egypt, at the mouth of the Nile River.  More than two millennia ago, Herakleion was a key gateway to Egypt, but sometime before 800 A.D. the city sank into the Mediterranean Sea, probably because of a sudden shift in the topology of the area (e.g., an earthquake).  And that's why (see, my daughter was right after all), according to the December 26, 2000, New York Times article of the same title as this article, the Gods sleep with the fishes.