Winter2016AlertDiver

our exploration capabilities, and this required overland transport of the

compressor, tanks, rigid inflatable boat and dive gear.

After the team’s first few dives, the existence of an abundance of ancient

shipwrecks was becoming crystal clear. We found huge clusters of intact

amphorae along with evidence of additional ancient shipwrecks. On the

first day the team found the remains of a Roman-period shipwreck. By day

five they had found an additional nine wrecks, and by day 13, a total of 22

wrecks, some of them more than 2,500 years old. These finds represent 12

percent of all known shipwrecks in Greek waters. Could this be the ancient

shipwreck capital of the world?

The team’s archaeologists were now in the process of 3-D mapping the

wrecks and selecting samples of amphorae for inspection and study. Of the

22 wrecks the team found, the earliest dated to 700 BCE and the latest to

1500 CE. Some have called this the archaeological find of the year.

“All of the shipwrecks were left intact on the seafloor for future

generations of divers and scientists to explore, except for one

representative artifact from each wreck,” Campbell said. “These will be

conserved, analyzed, studied, and when the artifacts are stable enough,

archived for future researchers to study. Some may be sent to a museum

for future display. Each artifact has an identification number and a report

attached to it.”

On the team’s final day on the island, we shared our finds with the island’s

mayor and residents. The residents of this tiny archipelago are now the

supreme protectors of these great ancient antiquities.

This experience elevated my enthusiasm for ancient shipwreck diving

to a new level, and working alongside this team was an absolute honor for

me. They are some of the most passionate, professional people I have ever

met, and they do this work not for financial reward or fame, but for the

preservation and protection of their country’s historical artifacts.

The team will return next year to continue this amazing wreck survey, for

this is one of the greatest opportunities in recent years for archaeologists to

search the ocean floor for ancient underwater treasures. Who knows what

other wonders will be found?

Funded by the Honor Frost Foundation, this Fourni survey

operated as a partnership between the Greek Ephorate of

Underwater Antiquities and RPM Nautical Foundation

WINTER 2016

DIVE SLATE

ANCIENT SHIPWRECKS

An archaeologist measures the

mouth of a large pithos dating

to the Hellenistic Period.