With the growing popularity of underwater archaeology, more and more is being known about the
heavy traffic of ships crossing the Mediterranean .
This is a unique way to accumulate details about the ships, their itineraries, their
construction, their size and their cargo.
One of the
hottest spots in recent years is the Fourni Archipelago, roughly situated
between Samos and Patmos off the west coast of Turkey . The small islands and
islets are scattered along the old maritime routes running from the Black Sea
to the Eastern Mediterranean, to Cyprus
and eventually to Egypt .
So far, The Fourni Underwater Survey has found
as many as 53 shipwrecks ranging from antiquity to the Middle-Ages and even
from post-Medieval times making it one of the largest concentrations of ancient
shipwrecks in the world.
The first
results were acquired in 2015 when 22 shipwrecks were identified, followed by
another 23 in
2016 and eight more during this year’s diving season. It is great to hear that
the Survey works closely together with local fishermen and sponge divers who
know their fishing grounds and diving waters well. During the first two seasons,
the archaeologists concentrated mainly on surveying the 17 square miles of
wreckage but this year they are focusing on documenting the finds. So far, they
found a great number of anchors made from stone, lead and iron which range from
the Archaic Period to Byzantine times. This year, the most important find was a
cargo of amphorae from the Classical Period on their way from Chios; another one
is the shipwreck of a Roman ship that came from the Iberian
Peninsula .
[Divers raise a Roman North African amphora for further study
and conservation.
With the help of the
latest technologies, the Survey team was able to select specific artifacts and
recover them for conservation and scientific analysis. They aim to make their
substantial data available to researchers and the public alike.
Another diving season is planned for 2018 and in the end, they may consider the excavation and recovery of a select choice of shipwrecks. Hopefully a local museum can be created on the main island to shelter all these new treasures.
Another diving season is planned for 2018 and in the end, they may consider the excavation and recovery of a select choice of shipwrecks. Hopefully a local museum can be created on the main island to shelter all these new treasures.
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