Swiss researchers uncover second ship in Antikythera shipwreck investigation

The Antikythera wreck from the 1st century BC is the richest ancient shipwreck ever discovered in Greece. It was discovered back in 1900. Esag

Swiss researchers have uncovered another important part of the Antikythera shipwreck. This is a major breakthrough in the 5-year underwater archaeological investigation, the Swiss Archaeological School in Greece (Esag) announced on Tuesday.

From May 17 to June 20, 2024, Esag researchers excavated part of the hull of the famous ship from antiquity during diving expeditions. Its original components together with the outer protective coating are said to be in excellent condition.

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During this year’s investigations, the researchers were also able to confirm the existence of a second wooden ship in the study area. “Initial analyses show that the ships date from around the same time,” said Lorenz Baumer, head of the excavation project at the University of Geneva, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.

They were around 200 metres apart. Further investigations will now show whether there is a connection between the sinking of the two ships.

+ Underwater archaeology reveals buried secrets

The Antikythera wreck from the 1st century BC is the richest ancient shipwreck ever discovered in Greece. It was discovered back in 1900.

“Until now, the wreck has never been investigated as a shipwreck, but the treasures have simply been extracted,” explained Baumer. In the project, which has been running since 2021, Esag wants to find out more about the ship itself. “We are proceeding in the same way as with excavations on land,” said Baumer. Among other things, remote-controlled underwater drones are being used.

As the investigations from this year also show, the ship was probably built “Shell First”. The builders first constructed the hull with the planks and only then assembled the frames inside the ship. Nowadays, ships are built in the reverse order.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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