10 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

10 Ancient Shipwrecks and Finds from Prehistoric to Ottoman Periods Discovered οff Kasos Island in Greece

The research team of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, has identified ten shipwrecks and other important ancient finds during a survey of the marine area around the Greek island of Kasos.

The discoveries were made public following the conclusion of the “Kasos Maritime Archaeological Project,” an interdisciplinary team of experts from Greece and abroad, which was an archaeological study. The National Hellenic Research Foundation led the underwater archaeological survey of Kasos’ marine environment, which began in 2019.

During the investigations were discovered, dating back to prehistory (3000 BC), the classical period (460 BC), the Hellenistic period (100 BC to 100 AD), the Roman period (200 BC to 300 AD), the Byzantine period (800 to 900 AD), and finds from the medieval and Ottoman periods.

A team of divers working at depths of -20 meters to -47 meters found ten shipwrecks carrying cargo from Africa, Asia Minor, Italy, and Spain, according to a press release from the Ministry of Culture.

Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture
Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture

The thorough study of the material 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.

Simultaneously, for the first time, mapping and bathymetry of the Kasos-Karpathos reef and the Karpatholimnion area were carried out using side-scan sonar.

Finally, the remains of a shipwreck, possibly from World War II, have been identified. It is a wooden boat with metal elements, estimated to be 25-30 meters long.

The findings were recorded and documented using modern scientific methods, while sampling of archaeological objects was carried out, the study of which provides new information and archaeological data, aspects of the history of Kasos, and the rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.

The international scientific community was given access to a plethora of primary data when over 20,000 underwater photos were taken with the aid of contemporary technology. These photos were then used for analysis and compilation of digital images of the shipwrecks and discoveries.

Greek Ministry of Culture

Related Articles

Neolithic village discovered in northeastern France after 150 years of research

29 August 2023

29 August 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered traces of a permanent settlement in the vast Neolithic site of the Marais de Saint-Gond in northeastern...

The marble head of God Apollo unearthed in an excavation at Philippi, Greece

29 March 2024

29 March 2024

The excavation, carried out by a group of students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the archaeological site of...

Extraordinary 27,000-Year-Old Gravettian Female Figurine Head Discovered at Amiens-Renancourt, Northern France

9 July 2025

9 July 2025

Recent archaeological excavations at the Amiens-Renancourt 1 site in northern France have unveiled an extraordinary Gravettian-era female figurine head, dating...

‘Exceptional’ Viking Age silver treasure found in Norway

27 October 2022

27 October 2022

A treasure trove of silver fragments from the Viking Age has been discovered in Stjørdal, near Trondheim in central Norway....

6,000-year-old island settlement found off the Croatian coast

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

Archaeologist Mate Parica, a professor at the University of Zadar, noticed something unusual while examining satellite images of Croatia‘s coastline....

Archaeologists Found an Egyptian Temple Slotted into a Cliff Face, Probably Dedicated to a Lion-Headed Goddess Repit

15 December 2024

15 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a hidden gateway leading to a 2,100-year-old temple built into a cliff face at the ancient city...

Malaysian rock art found to depict Ruling class and Indigenous tribes conflict

23 August 2023

23 August 2023

Researchers discovered that two anthropomorphic figures of indigenous warriors were created amid geopolitical tensions with the ruling class and other...

The secret of the mummy in the Crystal coffin found in a garage in San Francisco

30 March 2023

30 March 2023

Mysterious mummies are a symbol of ancient lost times, which we often associate with Egypt and other ancient civilizations. Therefore,...

Beyond Roman Exaggerations: Ancient Genomes Reveal an Iron Age Society Centered on Women in Britain

5 February 2025

5 February 2025

A team of researchers led by Dr. Lara Cassidy and Professor Daniel Bradley from Trinity College Dublin has uncovered evidence...

Gold coin hoard discovered in a cup beneath a North Yorkshire kitchen floor is being auctioned off

7 September 2022

7 September 2022

A couple in North Yorkshire found an early 18th-century gold coin hoard buried under the floorboards of their kitchen. The...

1,800-year-old Bronze military medal with Medusa head found in southeastern Turkey

5 October 2022

5 October 2022

A military medal believed to be almost 1,800 years old has been found by archaeologists in Turkey. The discovery was...

3,400-Year-Old Jade and Stone Workshop Site Discovered at Sanxingdui Ruins

26 July 2024

26 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a jade and stone processing site that dates back over 3,400 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in...

14,000 years old vessels made by Hunter-gatherers in Japan

1 May 2022

1 May 2022

The Late Pleistocene inhabitants of Tanegashima Island were making pottery about 14,000 years ago. In the Jomon period, people obtained...

Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Roman Fort of Apsaros in Georgia, found evidence of the Legion X Fretensis

27 May 2023

27 May 2023

Polish scientists discovered that Legion X Fretensis, known for its brutal suppression of Jewish uprisings, was stationed in the early...

Archaeologists Unearthed Third Greatest Fire Temple Existing in Ancient Iran’s Sassanid Era

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed ruins of what they believe to be the third-greatest fire temple in ancient Iran during the Sassanid...