Around 2100 years ago, a Roman cargo ship that sank near the Greek island of Antikythera. This ship, which sailed when Greece was still under the rule of the Roman Empire, has supplied researchers with ancient artifacts since its discovery in 1900.
When Captain Dimitrios Kondos and his crew of divers sailed to the island of Antikythera on their way to fishing grounds in North Africa in 1900, he and his team accidentally discovered the shipwreck. Soon after their arrival of Antikythera, they began to dive in the island’s coast. Diver Elias Stadiatis reported seeing a mass of rotting material fitting the description of a shipwreck. Thinking Stadiatis was seeing things, Kondos dive down to the site, and returned with not only news that Stadiatis was right, but also the arm of a bronze statue.
After the fishing season, Kondos led the first wave of excavations. His team of divers found 36 marble statues, including a headless statue of Hercules. Several bronze statues were also recovered, a rare find as most bronze statues from ancient Greece were melted to make weapons and coins. When the captain reported his crew’s findings, the Hellenic Navy was sent to continue the effort farther.
Although the expeditions came to a stop in 1901 after a diver was killed and two others were paralyzed from decompression sickness, French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his crew revisited and retrieved the skeletal remains and various other objects in 1976, allowing the project to continue.
Researchers told of their most recent find in late June, 2022. It was a marble head depicting Hercules, and is believed to be the missing head of the statue discovered in 1900. “It is twice life size, has a big beard, a very particular face, and short hair,” lead researcher and archeologist Lorenz Baumer described.
Links:
https:// en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Antikythera _wreck
https:// s3.amazonaws.com/ app forest _uf/ f1659268428974x792107147634317800/ Antikythera Shipwreck Continues To Yield Artifacts After 120 Years Kids News Article.pdf
When Captain Dimitrios Kondos and his crew of divers sailed to the island of Antikythera on their way to fishing grounds in North Africa in 1900, he and his team accidentally discovered the shipwreck. Soon after their arrival of Antikythera, they began to dive in the island’s coast. Diver Elias Stadiatis reported seeing a mass of rotting material fitting the description of a shipwreck. Thinking Stadiatis was seeing things, Kondos dive down to the site, and returned with not only news that Stadiatis was right, but also the arm of a bronze statue.
After the fishing season, Kondos led the first wave of excavations. His team of divers found 36 marble statues, including a headless statue of Hercules. Several bronze statues were also recovered, a rare find as most bronze statues from ancient Greece were melted to make weapons and coins. When the captain reported his crew’s findings, the Hellenic Navy was sent to continue the effort farther.
Although the expeditions came to a stop in 1901 after a diver was killed and two others were paralyzed from decompression sickness, French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his crew revisited and retrieved the skeletal remains and various other objects in 1976, allowing the project to continue.
Researchers told of their most recent find in late June, 2022. It was a marble head depicting Hercules, and is believed to be the missing head of the statue discovered in 1900. “It is twice life size, has a big beard, a very particular face, and short hair,” lead researcher and archeologist Lorenz Baumer described.
Links:
https:// en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Antikythera _wreck
https:// s3.amazonaws.com/ app forest _uf/ f1659268428974x792107147634317800/ Antikythera Shipwreck Continues To Yield Artifacts After 120 Years Kids News Article.pdf
