Antikythera Shipwreck

Ναυάγιο των Αντικυθήρων

Greece · Attica, Islands regional unit, off Antikythera

ShipwreckIntermittent excavation
Approximate period75 BCE — 50 BCEApproximately the second quarter of the 1st century BC; Late Hellenistic/Roman period See on the map ↓

In brief

The wreck off Antikythera is known for its ancient statues and astronomical mechanism. Current underwater excavations investigate the ship's structure, cargo and the distribution of remains across the wreck site.

What was found?

  • 1Antikythera Mechanism

    It is a portable astronomical calculator consisting of bronze gears. It was used to calculate the movements of the Sun and Moon, predict eclipses, and keep a calendar.

  • 2Bronze and marble statues

    Numerous statues were recovered from the wreck's cargo. They directly show that the ship was carrying works of art.

  • 3Connected wooden hull fragments

    Outer planking and an internal supporting member preserved together were recovered. Their joints document the shipbuilding technique in which the outer shell was constructed first.

  • 4Amphorae from Sakız

    Amphorae originating from Sakız were found in two separate parts of the wreck site. They show that the variety of transport containers in the cargo was greater than previous records indicated.

  • 5Terracotta mortar

    The spouted vessel was used to crush or mix food. It is tangible evidence of eating and food preparation practices aboard the ship.

What does it point to?

The wreck documents the transport of artworks, shipbuilding, and everyday life aboard the ship together. The mechanism shows that astronomical knowledge could be translated into a complex system of gears.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that portable mechanical devices capable of eclipse and calendar calculations were produced in antiquity.
  2. The connected hull fragments provided direct evidence of the shipbuilding technique.
  3. The amphorae and kitchen vessel offered different information about the ship's cargo and life aboard.

Images

The Antikythera Shipwreck. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece (3209908387)
Tilemahos Efthimiadis from Athens, Greece · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Statue of a youth-Antikythera wreck-NAMA 5744-2
Yair-haklai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Eroded marble statue of Heracles from Antikythera 02
Deiadameian · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2025, wooden hull fragments found in 2024 were recovered, and new fragments of male statues were documented underwater.

Record

Culture
Hellenistic, Roman
First modern dig
1900
Team / historical
Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, University of Geneva, and Greece's Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities; Angeliki Simosi and Lorenz Baumer
Coordinates
35.8897°, 23.3078°

Sources

  1. esag.swiss
  2. laskaridisfoundation.org
  3. en.wikipedia.org
  4. Yunanistan Kültür Bakanlığı — The Antikythera Mechanism
  5. Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece — 2025 kazı duyurusu

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