Antikythera wreck
Antikythera shipwreck
The shipwreck dates back to approximately 70-60 BC and is known for the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism a complex mechanical device believed to be the world's first analog computer. The 2025 excavation season focused on recovering and studying wooden fragments from the ship's hull which may date back to 235 BC. This excavation provides insights into ancient shipbuilding techniques. The Antikythera Shipwreck is an ancient shipwreck discovered in the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Antikythera Greece. The device is a complex mechanical mechanism consisting of gears and components used to calculate astronomical positions and eclipses which many regard as an analog computer.
The severely corroded bronze fragment contains embedded gears and legible Greek inscriptions. This object later known as the Antikythera Mechanism is believed to be one of its earliest forms. The remains of the ship's hull planks indicate that the ship was made of elm a wood commonly used by the Romans for shipbuilding and that it carried part of the Roman treasure looted from Athens. Captain Dimitrios Condos and his crew sponge divers from Symi Island sailed through the Aegean Sea toward fishing grounds off the coast of North Africa. A five-year expedition beginning in 2021 uncovered additional artifacts including the head of a marble statue possibly the missing head of a Hercules statue discovered at the same site in 244.
The discovery of artifacts from a shipwreck would have been highly successful and took only two years but dating the site proved difficult and took much longer. The discovery of the Antikythera shipwreck and the Antikythera mechanism an ancient Greek vessel was also a success. In addition to the Antikythera mechanism numerous bronze statues marble sculptures jewelry and coins were discovered. The shipwreck was discovered by accident by sponge divers in 1900. Today the Antikythera mechanism contains artifacts artwork and various components as well as the decomposed remains of corpses and horses scattered across the rocks on the sea floor.
