More on 22 shipwrecks located near Greek island

A joint Greek-American archaeological expedition, co-directed by a University of Southampton (UK) researcher, has recorded 22 shipwrecks over 13 days in what may be the ancient shipwreck capital of the world.

Cargo found at the bottom of the seabed at Fourni in Greece 
[Credit: Fourni Underwater Survey/V. Mentogianis]

The findings in the Fourni archipelago in the Greek Islands bring to light ancient trade networks that once connected the entire Mediterranean.

"The concentration of ancient shipwrecks is unprecedented," says Peter Campbell, University of Southampton archaeologist and project co-director from the US based RPM Nautical Foundation. "The volume of shipwrecks in Fourni, an island that had no major cities or harbours, speaks to its role in navigation as well as the perils of sailing the eastern Aegean."

The wrecks date from the Archaic Period (700-480 BC) through the Late Medieval Period (16th century). Several date to the Classical (480-323 BC) and Hellenistic (323-31 BC) periods, but over half of the wrecks date to the Late Roman Period (circa 300-600 AD). The ships' cargos point to the importance of long distance trade between the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Cyprus, the Levant, and Egypt - in all these periods.

"What is astonishing is not only the number of the shipwrecks, but also the diversity of the cargos, some of which have been found for first time," says Greek director George Koutsouflakis. At least three of the sites have cargos that have not been found previously on shipwrecks.