Diving Into the History of the Aegean: Ancient Finds Off Greece’s Kasos

A team of scientists has discovered several shipwrecks and other important ancient finds in the underwater, archaeological research near Greece’s island of Kasos.

The multi-year exploration in the seabed was completed at the end of last October, and the Ministry of Culture on Wednesday released photos of the ancient findings. These date back indicatively from prehistory (3000 BC), the Classical period (460 BC), the Hellenistic (100 BC to 100 AD), and the Roman years (200 BC – 300 AD) to the medieval and Ottoman periods.

Ancient finds off Greece’s Kasos

Sunken remains of ancient ships with goods from Spain, Italy, Africa, and the coasts of Asia Minor were brought to light by an interdisciplinary team of Greek and foreign researchers and professors as well as a combination of experts from various fields.

The findings were recorded and documented with modern scientific methods, while sample lifts of archaeological objects were carried out, the study of which offers new information and archaeological data, aspects of the history of Kasos, and a look at the rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.

The survey was completed in 2023 with the implementation of the fourth research mission between October 10 and 26, which focused on documenting the archaeological material. With modern technological equipment, more than twenty thousand underwater photographs were taken. These were used to study and synthesize digital images of the wrecks and finds, providing a wealth of primary data to the international scientific community.

The thorough study of the material at depths of -20 meters up to -47 meters brought to light unique finds, including: a Spanish Dressel 20 amphora with a seal on its handle dated between 150-170 AD, drinking vessels, terra sigillata flasks, which belong to the Roman period of African origin, stone anchor of the Archaic period, as well as other important archaeological evidence.

Finally, the remains of a shipwreck, possibly from the World War II era, was identified. It is a wooden boat with metal elements, the size of which is estimated at 25 meters to 30 meters.

Film on underwater research

The underwater research in Kasos was the subject of an original film production by AORI FILMS entitled “Diving into the History of the Aegean,” available in Greek and English versions at https://kasosproject.com/.

The film has already been selected for participation in the competition section of leading international archaeological film festivals, including The Archeology Channel International Film Festival in America and Firenze Archeofilm Festival in Europe.

The assessment of the overall research, enriched with original studies by historians, archaeologists, conservators, and other scientists will be the subject of a foreign language collective volume planned to be published in late 2024 by the National Research Foundation.

In June 2024, it is planned to expand the research to the marine area of Karpathos, which forms a single geographical entity with Kasos.

Related: Divers Can Now Explore Four Ancient Shipwrecks in Greece