Anchor from ancient shipwreck – Credit: Kasos Maritime Archaeological Project / Greek Ministry of Culture
Covering almost 5,000 years of history, a team of maritime archaeologists from Greece have located a series of shipwrecks off the coast of the island of Kasos.
Dating from as far back as (3,000 BCE), and through the Classical period (460 BCE), the Hellenistic Age (100 BCE to 100 CE) and Roman times, all the way up to the Byzantine period (800 to 900 CE), the medieval, and Ottoman periods, they are like a barnacle-encrusted history of Hellas and her neighbors.
Since 2019, the research team of the National Hellenic Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture has utilized sources, testimonies, and references, from Homer’sIliaduntil modern times, to locate the wrecks,according to the Ministry.
In the epic, Homer writes that the people of Kasos sent ships to fight in the wars with Ilium (Troy).
The findings were recorded and documented with modern scientific methods, while sample recoveries of archaeological objects were carried out, the study of which offers new information and archaeological data, aspects of the history of Kasos, and the rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.
Sunken remains of ancient ships with merchandise from Spain, Italy, Africa, and the coast of Asia Minor were brought to light by an interdisciplinary team of Greek and foreign researchers that included divers, geologists, and others.
Among some of the objects discovered were amphorae stamped with a seal from Spain in 170 CE, as well as drinking vessels and flasks from Roman North Africa. A stone anchor was identified from the period in the aftermath of the Trojan wars.
The Kasos maritime project was documented with underwater footage for an 11-minute film called Diving into Aegean History
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