Divers that explore the old Greek shipwreck find statue fragments, recover pieces of remains

Divers exploring the Shipwreck of Antikythera for centuries He recovered intact pieces from the ship and found artifacts that shed light on life aboard the trade.

The shipwreck of Antikythera dates back to the first century, according to the Oceanographic institution Woods Hole. The shipwreck site is close to Crete. The ship was a commercial or cargo ship. First discovered in the spring of 1900, it has been subject to multiple investigations since then. Previously, the divers found statues of natural marble horses, jewels and hundreds of works of art and other artifacts. Human remains were also found aboard the ship in the 1970s.

The most recent expedition was directed by the Swiss School of Archeology in Greece and took place between May and June 2025, according to a press release.

One of the main objectives of the expedition was to recover three exterior tables linked to the internal framework of the ship. This “rare set” of helmet fragments was found in 2024, but could not be removed from the accident until this immersion, the school said. The recovery of the planks and the frame confirms the construction method used to create the ship and offers “valuable information about the old naval techniques,” said the school.

The wood itself seems to be elM and OAK and can go back to 235 a. C., the school said. The construction method used, where the outer helmet is built before the internal parts of the ship, dates from between the fourth century and the first a. C. It is not clear if the pieces are from the upper segment of the ship, a smaller container or a repair that may have been made. Researchers are studying the pieces to learn more about them, the school said.

The various also found small fragments of a naked male statue. The marble base of the statue and part of the left leg were clearly identified. Other fragments are trapped in the shipwreck site and they cannot be extracted, the school said. A terracotta mortar used to crush and mix food in the shipwreck was also found.

Meanwhile, a series of Chian Amphorae, an ancient Greek bottle used for storage and transportation, “extended in two different areas of shipwreck,” said the school.

The divers who explored the shipwreck had to take additional measures to ensure that they could search the area safely, the school said. The wreck is about 140 to 170 feet under the surface, which is too deep for standard but too shallow diving for vehicles operated remotely, according to the Woods Hole’s oceanographic institution. The Swiss school of archeology, the divers, used closed circuit turns with gas mixtures to ensure that they could explore the wreck safely. The submarine drones also monitored the real -time immersion.

• Shipwreck
• Oceans
• Greece