A photo of a piece of artifact from ancient Egypt [Photo: Xinhua]

A collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts dating back some 28-hundred years, are now on display in Paris.

The artifacts were first discovered on a sunken Egyptian ship in 2002.

French Archaeologist Frank Goddio says they include a series of statues and around 200 different objects were discovered at a site along the Egyptian coast which is believed to be home to a number of sunken lost cities.

"The cities were submerged because of natural calamities, earthquakes, big tides, collapsing of ground, which made it possible that sea could cover those sites and when we discovered an object, that object was re-covered by sediments and therefore has partially been protected by the sea."

The lost city of Thonis-Heracleion, where the sunken ship was discovered, was probably founded around the 8th century BCE.

Egyptian archaeologist Mohammed Abdelmaguid says the exhibition in Paris comes as the Islamic State continues to destroy world history in the region.

"In reality, the exhibition comes at a time when many antiquities are being destroyed in the Arab world. We want to say that no, we should take care of the world heritage because in reality it is not only our heritage only, it is the world's heritage."

The exhibition in Paris, hosted by the Arab World Institute, is displaying around 250 artifacts found underwater at sites in Egypt.