Antikythera - 2025

Antikythera. A. Simosi (Emerita Director, Ministry of Culture) and L. Bäumer (ESAG / University of Geneva) report on the final year marked the fifth and final phase of the underwater excavation at the Antikythera Wreck (2021-2025).

Wooden remains of the ship's hull discovered in 2024 were carefully recovered. These include three plank sections from the ship's planking and a fitted inlaid element (a strut) (Fig. 1). This find is considered extremely important, as it is the first time an entire section of the ship's planking, with details of the ship’s construction technique, has been recovered. Based on current data, it appears the ship was built using the "shell first" technique, where the outer hull is constructed first, before placing the inner parts. This method was common in the Mediterranean from the fourth to the first century BC. Preliminary analyses suggest the wood was made from plane and oak around 235 BC. The recovered section is approximately 0.40 metres wide and 0.70 meters long. The planking boards are thinner than those discovered by Cousteau, which do not exceed 0.05 metres. Additional wooden remains were found in situ, along with inorganic materials (lead, copper) and organic materials (pitch), near the area investigated in 1976 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

After removing a large rock, several parts of a nude male figure in contrapposto along with many other fragments  were found and documented. The statue possibly dates to the first century BC Except for a marble entablature fragment preserving parts of the left lower leg of a life-sized statue, it was not possible to recover other fragments. The discovery of Chian amphorae from two different areas of the wreck indicates greater typological variety than previously recorded. The ceramic finds include a clay grinder, used for mashing and mixing food, providing valuable insights into the dietary practices and daily life aboard the ship.

Advanced Diving Technology and Documentation
Underwater operations were monitored and coordinated in real time using ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) from Hublot Xplorations. Additionally, a field laboratory was re-established at Potamos, allowing preliminary on-site analyses, while the progress of excavations was documented through the creation of 3D photogrammetric models. Beyond drawings and photographs of recovered objects, data were integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS). This documentation, along with data from previous missions, will serve as the basis for detailed analyses.