Antikythera - 2024

Antikythera. A. Simosi (Emerita Director, Ministry of Culture) and L. Bäumer (ESAG / University of Geneva) report on the fourth year of the underwater excavation at the Antikythera Wreck (2021-2025). This is a synergasia between Ephorate of Underwater Archaeology and ESAG.

In a depth of 42m, in 'Area A', one of the key finds this year was a structural part of the ship's hull, which combines important shipbuilding features, including a small number of connected wooden planks forming the outer shell (petsoma) with transverse reinforcements (nomes) fixed in their original position. These are connected in a way that indicates the "shell first" construction methodology with the original fasteners (copper nails) and the external protective lead coating preserved in excellent condition. Thanks to this find, the exact position on the seabed and the orientation of the ancient ship are now known (Fig. 1). Survey and excavation about 200m south of 'Area A' in 'Area B' the remains of a second wooden ship, which were found beneath the crushed cargo it was carrying, were confirmed. Excavations in both areas ('A' and 'B') yielded rich archaeological material: approximately 300 objects or groups of objects, including 21 marble fragments (18 from marble statues) (e.g., Fig. 2), numerous fragments and other structural elements of the ship's hull, and over 200 pottery fragments.There were numerous amphorae from Cos, as well as the existence of Rhodian and Ephesian. The Lamboglia 2 amphorae were a lot more than initially expected (Fig. 3). While the known types are found in both areas A and B, the survey of Area B revealed the presence of types not previously attested in Area A: amphorae from Chios and a Rhodian amphora with twisted handles. Several geoarchaeological samples were also extracted.