28 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Antikythera underwater excavation digs up new discoveries “huge marble head”

The second phase of underwater archaeological research (May 23 to June 15, 2022) on the Antikythera shipwreck resulted in the discovery of a statue head identified as Farnese-type Hercules and two human teeth embedded in a compact mass with copper traces.

Marble head of a male bearded figure, bigger than life-size, which at first sight can be identified with Herakles (Hercules) of the so-called Farnese type. It most probably belongs to the headless statue of the so-called “Herakles of Antikythera”, inv. no. 5742 of the National Archaeological Museum, which was retrieved by sponge divers in 1900.

Two human teeth recovered in a solid agglomeration of marine deposits, together with bits of copper, wood, and other components indicative of a nautical calamity, are likely to yield important information. The genome and other features related to the origin of the persons to whom the teeth belonged might be deduced using a genetic and isotopic examination of the teeth.

Several items from the ship’s equipment were also found, including bronze and iron nails, a lead collar from a large wooden anchor, and amorphous iron concretion masses coated in marine deposits. Their function will be determined using X-rays and other specialist laboratory tests.

Marble Head. Photo: Nikos Giannoulakis
Marble Head. Photo: Nikos Giannoulakis

The Swiss School of Archeology in Greece is conducting the research under the direction of Dr. Angeliki G. Simosi, head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea, and Lorenz Baumer, Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Geneva; the field research is overseen by the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, and the project is supported by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The main objective of the program is to formulate a clearer and more acute understanding of the ship, its route, its cargo, and the wreckage conditions.

Marble head. Photo:Orestis-Manousos
Marble head. Photo:Orestis-Manousos

The 2022 field study included the movement of chosen large natural stones weighing up to 8.5 tons apiece that had partially obscured the shipwreck region during an investigational event; their removal allowed access to a hitherto unknown portion of the wreckage. The popular Swiss watchmaker’s Hublot Xplorations team planned and built a unique system consisting of sturdy rigging, underwater lifting bags, and pressurized air supply.

Antikythera Wreck

The Antikythera Wreck contains the wreckage of a Greek freight or commercial ship from the First Century BCE. It is situated at the crossroads of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas on the east side of the Greek island of Antikythera, near Crete.

Excavation. Photo: Nikos-Giannoulakis
Excavation. Photo: Nikos-Giannoulakis

The wreck was discovered in the spring of 1900 by a group of Greek sponge divers on their way to Tunisia who took shelter from a storm near the island and decided to look for sponges while they waited for calmer conditions. One of the divers discovered the wreck at depths reported between 40 and 50 meters.

That excavation revealed a wealth of discoveries that today are housed in Greece’s National Archaeological Museum in Athens. These included three life-size marble horses, jewelry, coins, glassware, and hundreds of works of art, including a seven-foot-tall “colossus” statue of Herakles.

Antikythera
Antikythera

The most surprising discovery, however, was an unassuming lump of bronze recovered during the first excavation that was later found to be a complex set of interlocking gears capable of predicting the movement of the sun, moon, and several planets, as well as the timing of solar and lunar eclipses years into the future. The Antikythera Mechanism is believed to be an early computer used to plan important events including religious rituals, the early Olympic games, and agricultural activities.

Cover Photo: Marble base. Photo: Nikos Giannoulakis

Press release

Related Articles

The history of Kültepe Mound in central Turkey goes back another 300 years

12 December 2021

12 December 2021

In Kültepe, where the first written documents of Anatolia were unearthed, the date based on 5 thousand years was updated...

The 1,000-year-old Church found under a cornfield in Germany

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

The foundation walls of the large church of the rediscovered Royal Palace of Helfta in Eisleben in the German state...

Scientists unlock the ‘Cosmos’ on the Antikythera Mechanism

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Scientists may have finally made a complete digital model of the 2000-year-old Cosmos panel of a mechanical device called the...

Battle of the Egadi Islands: Rome’s deadly weapons discovered off Sicily

3 September 2021

3 September 2021

Underwater archaeologists from the Soprintendenza del Mare Regione Siciliana, RPM Nautical Foundation, and the Society for the Documentation of Submerged...

Metal Detectorist Finds on 4,000-year-old Dagger in Poland Forests

24 February 2024

24 February 2024

A copper dagger more than 4,000 years old was found in a forest near the town of Jarosław on the...

The Oldest Known Carvel-Built Shipwreck in the Nordic Region Found

6 March 2025

6 March 2025

Maritime archaeologists from the Museum of Wrecks (Vrak) in Stockholm have made a groundbreaking discovery off the coast of Sweden:...

The Legacy of the Double-Headed Eagle: From Hittite Kings to Modern Icons

25 June 2025

25 June 2025

The double-headed eagle is one of the most enduring symbols in human history. Recognized today as an emblem of imperial...

Archaeologists Document Over 95 Dolmens at Murayghat: A 5,500-Year-Old Ceremonial Landscape in Jordan

18 October 2025

18 October 2025

Amid the stony hills southwest of Madaba, archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen have uncovered one of Jordan’s most extensive...

Cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago may have caused downfall of the Hopewell Culture

3 February 2022

3 February 2022

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati find evidence of cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago at 11 ancient sites in three...

Rare Prehistoric Animal Carvings Discovered For The First Time In Scotland

31 May 2021

31 May 2021

Animal carvings thousands of years old have been found for the first time in Scotland. The carvings, estimated to be...

Ancient scrolls reveal astonishing information about the life of a Nabatean woman, who lived in the first century AD in Petra

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Petra was the capital of a powerful trading empire two thousand years ago. It was established by the Nabateans, a...

Archaeologists Use Song to Unveil the Legendary End of West Africa’s Kaabu Kingdom

19 March 2025

19 March 2025

As the archaeological discoveries at Kansala, located in present-day Guinea-Bissau, reveal the tangible remnants of the once-mighty Kaabu Kingdom, the...

The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia

23 February 2025

23 February 2025

The Colchester Vase, dating back to A.D. 160–200, is not just a ceramic artifact; it is considered a unique graphic...

The Catacombs of Commodilla in Rome will open to the public for the first time

21 September 2022

21 September 2022

The fourth-century Catacombs of Commodilla in Rome’s Garbatella district will reopen to the public soon after the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission...

Birkleyn Caves is “the Place Where The World Ends”

18 January 2025

18 January 2025

The Birkleyn Caves were known as “the place where the world ends” and as “the place where the water of...