Photos: Greek shipwrecks laden with antiquities tell tale of trade routes | Hindustan Times
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Photos: Greek shipwrecks laden with antiquities tell tale of trade routes

Updated On Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

When an international team began underwater surveys in the Greek archipelago of Fournoi in 2015, they were astounded to find 22 shipwrecks. That number has climbed to 58, and the team believe there are even more secrets lying on the seabed below. The wrecks span a huge period from ancient Greece right through to the 20th century. Most are dated to the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras. The vessels and their contents paint a picture of ships carrying goods on routes from the Black Sea, Greece, Asia Minor, Italy, Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, the Levant, Egypt and north Africa.

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Amphorae are seen at the sea bottom at a shipwreck site on the island of Fournoi, Greece. Archaeologists in Greece have discovered at least 58 shipwrecks, many laden with antiquities, in what they say may be the largest concentration of ancient wrecks ever found in the Aegean and possibly the whole of the Mediterranean. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Amphorae are seen at the sea bottom at a shipwreck site on the island of Fournoi, Greece. Archaeologists in Greece have discovered at least 58 shipwrecks, many laden with antiquities, in what they say may be the largest concentration of ancient wrecks ever found in the Aegean and possibly the whole of the Mediterranean. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS)

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A member of the Fournoi Survey Project carries a dive tank before a dive at a shipwreck site. The wrecks lie in the small island archipelago of Fournoi, in the Eastern Aegean, and span a huge period from ancient Greece right through to the 20th century. Most are dated to the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

A member of the Fournoi Survey Project carries a dive tank before a dive at a shipwreck site. The wrecks lie in the small island archipelago of Fournoi, in the Eastern Aegean, and span a huge period from ancient Greece right through to the 20th century. Most are dated to the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Members of the Fournoi Survey Project are seen on an inflatable boat before a dive. Experts say they weave an exciting tale of how ships full of cargo travelling through the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea met their fate in sudden storms and surrounded by rocky cliffs in the area. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Members of the Fournoi Survey Project are seen on an inflatable boat before a dive. Experts say they weave an exciting tale of how ships full of cargo travelling through the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea met their fate in sudden storms and surrounded by rocky cliffs in the area. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Chief conservator of the Fournoi Survey Project Angelos Tsompanidis, 42, and student of the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art Helen Margarita Bardas, 25, prepare for a dive. Although shipwrecks can be seen together in the Aegean, until now such a large number have not been found together. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Chief conservator of the Fournoi Survey Project Angelos Tsompanidis, 42, and student of the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art Helen Margarita Bardas, 25, prepare for a dive. Although shipwrecks can be seen together in the Aegean, until now such a large number have not been found together. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Diver and technical director Markos Garras, 50, inspects a shipwreck site. “The excitement is difficult to describe, I mean, it was just incredible. We knew that we had stumbled upon something that was going to change the history books,” said underwater archaeologist and co-director of the Fournoi survey project Dr. Peter Campbell of the RPM Nautical Foundation. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Diver and technical director Markos Garras, 50, inspects a shipwreck site. “The excitement is difficult to describe, I mean, it was just incredible. We knew that we had stumbled upon something that was going to change the history books,” said underwater archaeologist and co-director of the Fournoi survey project Dr. Peter Campbell of the RPM Nautical Foundation. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS)

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Angelos Tsompanidis and Helen Margarita Bardas carry an amphora from a shipwreck site. When the international team began the underwater survey in 2015, they were astounded to find 22 shipwrecks that year. With their latest finds that number has climbed to 58, and the team believe there are even more secrets lying on the seabed below. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Angelos Tsompanidis and Helen Margarita Bardas carry an amphora from a shipwreck site. When the international team began the underwater survey in 2015, they were astounded to find 22 shipwrecks that year. With their latest finds that number has climbed to 58, and the team believe there are even more secrets lying on the seabed below. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS)

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Angelos Tsompanidis swims over a shipwreck site. “I would call it, probably, one of the top archaeological discoveries of the century in that we now have a new story to tell of a navigational route that connected the ancient Mediterranean,” Campbell told Reuters. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Angelos Tsompanidis swims over a shipwreck site. “I would call it, probably, one of the top archaeological discoveries of the century in that we now have a new story to tell of a navigational route that connected the ancient Mediterranean,” Campbell told Reuters. (Vassilis Mentogiannis / Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities / Handout via REUTERS)

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Members of the Fournoi Survey Project bring an amphora onboard following a dive. The vessels and their contents paint a picture of ships carrying goods on routes from the Black Sea, Greece, Asia Minor, Italy, Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, the Levant, Egypt and north Africa. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Members of the Fournoi Survey Project bring an amphora onboard following a dive. The vessels and their contents paint a picture of ships carrying goods on routes from the Black Sea, Greece, Asia Minor, Italy, Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, the Levant, Egypt and north Africa. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Archaeologist of the Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and Fournoi Survey Project director Dr. George Koutsouflakis and Angelos Tsompanidis with a retrieved amphora. The team has raised more than 300 antiquities from the shipwrecks, particularly amphorae, giving archaeologists rare insight into where goods were being transported around the Mediterranean. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Archaeologist of the Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and Fournoi Survey Project director Dr. George Koutsouflakis and Angelos Tsompanidis with a retrieved amphora. The team has raised more than 300 antiquities from the shipwrecks, particularly amphorae, giving archaeologists rare insight into where goods were being transported around the Mediterranean. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Angelos Tsompanidis, 42, inspects an amphora.“The amphora is a vessel used mainly for transporting liquids and semi-liquids in antiquity, so the goods it would be transporting were mostly wine, oil, fish sauces, perhaps honey,” Koutsouflakis said. Fish sauce from the Black Sea region in antiquity was an expensive commodity, he added. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Angelos Tsompanidis, 42, inspects an amphora.“The amphora is a vessel used mainly for transporting liquids and semi-liquids in antiquity, so the goods it would be transporting were mostly wine, oil, fish sauces, perhaps honey,” Koutsouflakis said. Fish sauce from the Black Sea region in antiquity was an expensive commodity, he added. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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Students Giorgos Agavanakis, 24, Helen Margarita Bardas, 25, and Eirini Mitsi, 23, work on amphorae. Particularly exciting were amphorae found originating from the Black Sea and north Africa in shipwrecks from the late Roman period, as it is rare to find cargo from these regions intact in shipwrecks in the Aegean, said Koutsouflakis. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

Students Giorgos Agavanakis, 24, Helen Margarita Bardas, 25, and Eirini Mitsi, 23, work on amphorae. Particularly exciting were amphorae found originating from the Black Sea and north Africa in shipwrecks from the late Roman period, as it is rare to find cargo from these regions intact in shipwrecks in the Aegean, said Koutsouflakis. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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In later times Fournoi was considered a pirate’s haven, said Campbell. Although weather was believed to be the primary reason for the sinkings, piracy may have contributed in some cases. The team, which includes archaeologists, architects, conservators, and divers, want to create a centre for underwater archaeology in Fournoi for students, as well as a local museum to house their finds. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 02:45 PM IST

In later times Fournoi was considered a pirate’s haven, said Campbell. Although weather was believed to be the primary reason for the sinkings, piracy may have contributed in some cases. The team, which includes archaeologists, architects, conservators, and divers, want to create a centre for underwater archaeology in Fournoi for students, as well as a local museum to house their finds. (Alkis Konstantinidis / REUTERS)

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