13 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Discovered Submerged Stoa Complex in Ancient Salamis, Greece

Archaeologists exploring the east coast of Salamis, the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, discovered a large, long, and narrow public building partially submerged underwater.

The discovery was announced by Greece’s Ministry of Culture on Thursday. This is near the site of one of the most important naval battles in history, the Battle of Salamis (480 BC).

The marine archaeologists have been investigating the waters in Ampelakia Bay, off the island of Salamis. They conducted a three-year study of the city’s eastern shores on the northwestern side of the Ambelaki-Knosoura marine area as part of a joint research project between the Institute of Marine Archaeological Research, the Ephorate of Marine Antiquities, and the University of Ioannina. Previous research has discovered sunken Classical city remains, including large sections of the sea wall and submerged ruins of public buildings.

Excavations within the former landside of the sea wall have revealed a public building identified as a stoa. The meaning of Stoa is an ancient Greek portico usually walled at the back with a front colonnade designed to afford a sheltered promenade. In addition to providing a place for the activities of civil magistrates, shopkeepers, and others, stoas often served as galleries for art and public monuments, were used for religious purposes, and delineated public space.

The building, with a constant width of 6 meters, is traced so far, at a length of 32 meters. The interior includes a series of at least 6-7 rooms, of which one was investigated, with internal dimensions of 4.7 x 4.7 meters., with large storage pits. It has solid walls, about 60 centimeters thick, made of large hewn stone plinths.

Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture

Based on the size, shape and arrangement of its spaces, archeologists assume that the building presents all the characteristics of a portico. A porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns.

During the excavations, various artifacts and objects were discovered, including Classical-Hellenistic period ceramics, amphora stoppers, fragments of marble objects, and 22 bronze coins.

Two of the marble objects are particularly significant and date from the 4th century BC. The first is a column with a fragmentary verse inscription, and the second is a stele with a muscular right hand of a large figure. The stele matches a marble stele from around 320 BC housed in Salamis’ Archaeological Museum.

The identification of the Stoa is a very important new element for the study of the topography and residential organization of the ancient city.

Stoa is open to the west and probably marks the eastern boundary of the Agora area of the Classical-Hellenistic city rather than the port, extending on generally level ground to the west/northwest of the building. Its ruins were seen and described, literally, by the traveler Pausanias around the middle of the 2nd century.

Research is the first interdisciplinary underwater research, carried out intensively (since 2016) by Greek agencies, in areas of the historic Strait, in the Ampelaki-Kynosoura marine area.

Greek Ministry of Culture

Cover Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture

Related Articles

Oman discovers fort dating back to the 5th century in North Al Batinah

12 March 2022

12 March 2022

A fort dating back to the 5th century has been discovered at Oman’s Al Fulaij archaeological site in North Al...

The ruins found in Nara could be the Imperial House of Female Emperor Koken

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest building remains ever found at the former site of the Heijokyu palace in the...

Fossils of sea creatures 35 million years old discovered in eastern Turkey

17 August 2021

17 August 2021

In Turkey’s eastern province of Mus, a team of researchers discovered fossils of sea creatures estimated to be 35 million...

Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China

2 March 2022

2 March 2022

Ancient hunter-gatherers living in what is now China may have been the first people in East Asia to process mustard...

Archaeologists unearth hidden tunnels under the 3,000-year-old temple complex

6 June 2022

6 June 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a system of hidden tunnels beneath the 3,000-year-old Chavín de Huántar temple complex in the Ancash Region...

Was the mystery of Noceto Vasca Votiva the water ritual?

13 June 2021

13 June 2021

The Noceto Vasca Votiva is a one-of-a-kind wood building discovered in 2005 on a tiny hill in northern Italy. The...

The Mysterious Horsemen of Pir Panjal: Secrets of an Ancient Legacy in Jammu and Kashmir

24 April 2025

24 April 2025

Deep within the rugged Pir Panjal range in Jammu and Kashmir, India, lies a captivating mystery known as the Mysterious...

Ancient coins surface with Lake Iznik’s withdrawal in Türkiye

2 May 2023

2 May 2023

With the withdrawal of Lake Iznik in the northwest of Türkiye, the ancient coins found at the bottom of the...

Coins from the World’s Richest Shipwreck Could Confirm the San José Galleon

16 June 2025

16 June 2025

A recent underwater exploration off the coast of Colombia has uncovered compelling new evidence that may confirm the identity of...

500-year-old curse tablet found in Germany

15 December 2023

15 December 2023

In the city of Rostock on Germany’s northern coast, archaeologists found a lead curse tablet invoking Satan and two other...

Places to Visit in Oman

6 February 2021

6 February 2021

There are many places to visit in Oman. In this article, we wanted to talk about a wonderful country that...

2700-year-old Ancient Blacksmith Workshop Unearthed in Oxfordshire

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a “master blacksmith’s” Iron Age workshop in South Oxfordshire, a local government center in the ceremonial county...

Earliest Known East Anglian Gold Coin Found: A Fusion of Pagan and Christian Imagery

12 June 2025

12 June 2025

A rare gold coin dating back to the early Anglo-Saxon period has been discovered near Norwich, UK, by a metal...

Remains of a 5-year-old girl found under Real Alcázar in Spain

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

The body of a five-year-old fair-haired girl who lived in the late Middle Ages and was most likely of noble...

An amateur archeologist has discovered a Roman war site

1 November 2021

1 November 2021

Thanks to the insistence of an amateur archaeologist, a Roman battlefield in Switzerland has been identified. Shortly before the birth...