A fisherman operating off the western Peloponnese in Greece has recovered a fragmentary ancient amphora, Greek port authorities announced on Thursday.
The Coast Guard reported that the find—the upper portion of a vessel used for transporting wine or oil—was discovered Wednesday near Kalogria. Experts believe the intact handles and neck likely mark the location of an ancient shipwreck.
Ancient amphora discovered by fisherman latest addition to Greece’s “underwater museum”
The discovery is the latest addition to Greece’s vast “underwater museum,” where centuries of maritime trade have left the seabed littered with remnants of antiquity.
Such finds are scientifically invaluable because, while organic materials such as wood usually perish, ceramic amphorae act as durable markers of history. Recent large-scale surveys, such as those in the Fourni archipelago and off the island of Kasos, have revealed dozens of wrecks spanning from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine era.
These “ghost fleets” often carry hundreds of jars that, through residue and DNA analysis, reveal the exact diets and economic priorities of ancient civilizations—from premium Chian wine to salted fish steaks from the North.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, a 57-year-old man was arrested at the Port of Patra while attempting to board a ferry to Italy with thirteen ancient coins. Authorities confirmed that four of the coins were genuine 4th-century BC antiquities, while the remaining nine were identified as silver copies.
Related: Underwater Museum in Greece Is “the Parthenon of Shipwrecks”
