BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Two Shipwrecks for the Price of One

Divers spot second Antikythera shipwreck

Uncovering a large part of the hull of the shipwreck. Courtesy Greek Ministry of Culture

While exploring the famous first-century BCE Antikythera shipwreck off the southern coast of Greece, divers made some remarkable new discoveries. Among them was a previously unnoticed second shipwreck that may have been caused by the same incident that sunk the first ship.

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The Antikythera Shipwrecks

Toe from a marble statute, uncovered in the wreck. Courtesy Greek Ministry of Culture.

The Antikythera shipwreck, located between mainland Greece and Crete, is famous for having held the Antikythera mechanism, which is often dubbed the world’s oldest computer and was likely used for complex astronomical calculations. However, over a century after its discovery in 1900, the wreck continues to reveal its secrets, the newest one being a previously undiscovered ship. According to a press release by the Greek Ministry of Culture, a team carrying out renewed excavations at the site examined an area about 600 feet from the original wreck. Noticing a large amount of pottery similar to that found at the wreck site, the team identified the remains of a second ship, most likely dating to the same period. This opens up new questions about the Antikythera shipwreck: Did the second ship go down at the same time? Could there be more ships? What exactly caused them to sink?

In addition to the new ship, the team was also uncovered a new section of the hull from the original vessel. This new section preserved several wooden boards of the outer shell and a number of diagonal reinforcement planks, connected to the hull through copper nails. In addition to clarifying the ship’s orientation, the new section also demonstrated that the vessel must have been built shell first. Samples taken during excavation may also help to identify the specific type of wood used in the ship’s construction and possibly even its origin. Other finds included more than 300 objects, including 18 fragments of marble statues, numerous structural elements from the ship’s hull, and more than 200 sherds of pottery.

This article was first published in Bible History Daily on July 15, 2024.

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