Greece to Open First Underwater Museum in Alonissos [Alonnisos shipwreck]

Argophilia Travel News ^ | July 11th, 2020 | ATN

[SunkenCiv]

Greece is ready to open its first underwater museum beginning in August. The park, located off the coast of Alonissos Island in the western Aegean, will show-off the stunning marine life and a historic wreck off of Pertistera Islet.

According to the news from ekathimerini, the site will be open to tours from licensed guides from August 3rd until October 2nd. The part will let amateur divers explore the 5th century BC wreck which carried a cargo of hundreds of amphoras of wine.

The site is blessed with a wealth of archaeological treasures and incredibly rich sea life resulting from the area's protected status as a marine park. The Peristera dive site is regarded as one of the most interesting in all of Greece.

The underwater museum is run by the Ministry of Culture, which also has an information center in the main town of Alonissos, affords visitors information about Peristera and its famous wreck thanks to a virtual reality tour.

Known for its natural beauty and amazing beaches, Alonissos island is arguably one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands of the Sporades.

[SunkenCiv]

Excavation of the Alonnisos shipwreck in 2000 - Elpida Hadjidaki CC 4.0

[SunkenCiv]

[BenLurkin]

nice

[Secret Agent Man]

Still, way behind Italy

Venice

[Army Air Corps]

Very cool.

[nonsporting]

[Paladin2]

Was the wine properly oaked?

[Bob434]

won’t all the paper artifacts get soggy?

[SunkenCiv]

[sighs]

[SunkenCiv]

In the Bay of Naples, in 79 AD, the wine got ashed.

[Bob434]

lol- it is a petty cool museum idea though- a cool twist-

[SunkenCiv]

I'm sure the grand opening will go swimmingly.

[Bob434]

Lol- well, they’re gonna have to either swim or sink

[SunkenCiv]

I'd guess this museum is close to the coast, eau.

[SunkenCiv]

The Peristera shipwreck which was discovered in the early 1990s will be the first one that the Greek government opens to the public for the 2020 summer between Aug. 3 and Oct. 2.

The exposed parts of the wooden Peristera wreck have long rotted away, but the remaining cargo present a fascinating seascape for divers. The ship, which archaeologists believe was a large Athenian barge carrying amphoras filled with wine, likely sank toward the end of the fifth century B.C. The wreckage now sits about 30 meters underwater, and historians say it's the largest ship of its kind discovered under the sea.

Divers will encounter a vast vista of an estimated 4,000 amphora that sometimes are piled high above their heads as they swim around the wreckage. Many of the vessels -- curvy with small circular handles near the top -- are intact and have become home to sea sponges and fish that add unexpected color to the monochromic pottery.

While the shipwreck is visually stunning, it also holds considerable historical significance. The Peristera shipwreck changed historians' understanding of shipbuilding in the ancient world. Archaeologists originally thought that this type of shipbuilding originated with the Romans. The Peristera wreck proved that the Greeks were ahead of the Romans.

Prior to the discovery of the wreck, archaeologists believed that the largest ships were designed and constructed by the Romans around the first century B.C. These ships carried around 1,500 amphoras and weighed up to 70 tons. The Greek ship was built about four centuries earlier, weighed 126 tons, and carried more than twice the amount of amphoras.

Archaeologists still have much to learn from the Peristera site, as a lot of it has not yet been excavated. Historians have not yet figured out what caused the wreck or whether other treasure might lie below the thousands of amphoras. While some clues point to a fire on board, experts are not sure whether that caused the ship's demise.

Dive Alonissos - Peristera Wreck

Peristera is an islet near Alonissos in the North Sporades, a cluster of islands in Greece (central Aegean Sea). The shipwreck was located at the north of Kokkalia bay near the west rocky coast of Peristera by the fisherman and inhabitant of the island, Dimitris Maurikis, and was indicated to the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in 1985. The shipwreck was excavated by Dr. Elpida Hadjidaki, archaeologist and Head of the Ephorate, during the years 1992-1993, 1999, 2000-2001.
Peristera shipwreck - Alonissos, Greece [YouTube]