The Antikythera wreck is a ship wreck that was discovered by sponge divers off the coast of the Greek island, Antikythera. This list of shipwrecks is of those sunken ships whose remains have been located. ... Classes Calcarea Hexactinellida Demospongiae The sponges or poriferans (from the Greek poros pore and ferro to bear) are animals of the phylum Porifera. ... A diver is an person who practices scuba diving or surface supplied diving. ... Antikythera (Αντικύθηρα) is a Greek island with a land mass of 20 square kilometers, 38 kilometers south-east of Kythira. ...

Discovery and excavation

In October 1900, a team of sponge divers led by Captain Dimitrios Kondos had decided to wait out a severe storm hampering their sail back from Africa on the island of Antikythera, and they began diving for sponges off the island's coastline. Although in years past divers worked naked, by 1900 divers usually wore standard diving dress — canvas suits and copper helmets — which allowed them to dive deeper and to stay submerged longer. 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Classes Calcarea Hexactinellida Demospongiae The sponges or poriferans (from the Greek poros pore and ferro to bear) are animals of the phylum Porifera. ... Hardhat diver entering water at Stoney Cove, England A standard diving dress consists of a metallic (copper, brass or bronze) diving helmet, an airline or hose from a surface supplied diving air pump, a canvas diving suit and boots. ... Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, and other functions where sturdiness is required. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ...

The first to lay eyes on the shipwreck 60 metres down was Elias Stadiatos, who quickly signalled to be pulled to the surface. He described the scene as a heap of rotting corpses and horses lying on the sea bed. Thinking the diver had gone mad from too much carbon dioxide in his helmet, Kondos himself dove into the water, soon returning with a bronze arm of a statue. Until they could safely leave the island, the divers dislodged as many small artifacts as they could carry. Decline of oxygen saturation to anoxia, measured during the night in Kiel Fjord, Germany. ... Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas comprised of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... Assorted ancient bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ...

Together with the Greek Education Ministry and Hellenic Navy, the sponge divers salvaged numerous artifacts from the waters. By the end of 1902, divers had recovered statues of a philosopher's head, a young boy, a discus thrower, the bronze Ephebe of Antikythera of c 340 B.C. (now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens), a Hercules, a marble bull and a bronze lyre. Many other small and common artifacts were also found. On May 17, 1902, however, archaeologist Spyridon Stais made the most celebrated find. When diving to search the area of the wreck, he noticed that one of the pieces of rock near him had a gear wheel embedded in it. It would soon be identified as the Antikythera mechanism; originally thought to be one of the first forms of a mechanised clock, it is now considered to be world’s oldest known analog computer. Hellenic Navy Jack The Hellenic Navy, (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναύτικο), is the naval force of the modern nation of Greece (Hellenic Republic). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Alternate meaning: Discus fish The discus throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event. ... The Farnese Hercules The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli (Naples National Archaeological Museum) is located in Naples, Italy. ... Hercules is the Latin name used in Roman mythology for a hero corresponding to the Greek mythological hero Heracles (or Herakles). ... Venus de Milo, front. ... A lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Schematic of the artifacts mechanism The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient artifact believed to be an early clockwork mechanism. ... A wall clock A clock (from the Latin cloca, bell) is an instrument for measuring time, usually for measuring time of intervals less than a day--as opposed to a calendar. ... A page from the Bombardiers Information File (BIF) that describes the components and controls of the Norden bombsight. ...

Dating the ship

Although the excavation of the 300 ton ship was highly successful, dating the ship was riddled with problems. The bronze statues dated back to the 4th century B.C., and the marble statues were found to be 1st century B.C. copies of earlier works.

The ship was made of elm, a wood often used by the Romans in their ships. Many have speculated that the ship was carrying part of the loot of the Roman General Sulla from Athens in 86 B.C. The ship was indeed on its way to Italy^{[citation needed]}, and a reference by the Greek writer Lucian, to one of Sulla's ships sinking in the Antikythera region, reinforced the theory. Domestic utensils and objects from the ship were eventually carbon dated, and this supported the Sulla theory, dating the ship wreck from 70 to 80 B.C. Species See text. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (Latin: L·CORNELIVS·L·F·P·N·SVLLA·FELIX) ¹ (ca. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Lucian Lucian of Samosata (Greek, Λουκιανὸς Σαμοσατεύς, Latin, Lucianus; c. ... Radiocarbon dating is the use of the naturally occurring isotope of carbon-14 in radiometric dating to determine the age of organic materials, up to ca. ...

To date, excavation work continues on the site of the wreck to find items of interest such as the ship's anchor.

References

• Nigel Pickford, The Atlas of Ship Wrecks & Treasures, p 13-15, ISBN 086438615X.
• Willard Bascom, Deep water, ancient ships: The treasure vault of the Mediterranean, ISBN 0715373056.