Welcome to the Nautilus of Antiquity. Greece unveiled its first underwater museum on Saturday, the wreck of a ship carrying thousands of amphoras that sank in the 5th century BCE, a sunken treasure in the Aegean Sea that diving enthusiasts will now be allowed to visit. to explore.
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The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni attended the ceremony which took place aboard a boat and underwater with the participation of divers. The site, located near the islet of Peristera, off the island of Alonissos, will be open to diving enthusiasts from August 3 to October 3, while tourists who do not practice diving will be entitled to a virtual tour. in an information center located in Alonissos.
Discovered in 1985 by a fisherman
"This wreck lies 21-28 meters deep near the coast of the islet of Peristera and contains 3,000 to 4,000 amphorae," Maria Agalou, president of the municipal council of Alonissos, told Skai TV channel.
This large merchant ship carrying thousands of amphorae containing wine is said to have sank around - 425 due to bad weather during a crossing between Chalkidiki, in northern Greece, and the island of Skopelos, told the TV channel Ert Pari Kalamara, director of the Department of Underwater Antiquities. “The amphorae reveal the size of the old ship. It was a big ship, ” she added. The amphorae, most of which are intact, were discovered in 1985 by a fisherman.
"We are offering humanity the Parthenon of shipwrecks," said Kostas Agorastos, governor of Thessaly, the region where the island of Alonissos is located, according to Skai TV.
The Greek authorities plan to make four other sites of ancient wrecks accessible to tourists practicing scuba diving. According to Ert tv, two groups of British diving enthusiasts are expected on Monday to visit the Peristera site.
