Page 32 - aruba-today-20190425

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 25 april 2019
Greece opens shipwreck sites to divers as underwater museums

By ELENA BECATOROS crazy,” she said.
Associated Press “Why should we keep it to
STENI VALLA, Greece (AP) ourselves? We have to give
— Near the northern Greek knowledge to people.”
island of Alonissos lies a The first test for guided tours
remarkable ancient ship- of the wreck, which lies at
wreck: the remains of a a depth of about 22-28 me-
massive cargo ship that ters (72-92 feet), was car-
changed archaeologists’ ried out last weekend with
understanding of shipbuild- small groups of recreation-
ing in antiquity. al and professional divers.
Now this spectacular find is A thorough briefing, com-
to become the first ancient plete with historical infor-
shipwreck to be made ac- mation and the rules of the
cessible to the public in dive, preceded the short
Greece, including to recre- boat ride from the tiny har-
ational divers. bor of Steni Valla on Alonis-
Greece’s rich underwater sos to the site.
heritage has long been hid- On the wreck itself, explan-
den from view, off-limits to atory signs have been sus-
all but a select few, mainly pended along the perime-
archaeologists. This photo taken on Friday, April 5, 2019 shows the harbor of Steni Vala with the island of Peristera ter. The initial feedback has
Scuba diving was banned on the background, in Greece. been positive.
throughout the country ex- Associated Press “It was an amazing oppor-
cept in a few specific loca- ras, or vases, probably con- ect preparing the site for The Peristera wreck is the tunity ... to dive at last on an
tions until 2005, for fear that taining wine, when it sank visitors. largest ship of its time to ancient wreck,” said Kostas
divers might loot the count- in the late 5th century B.C. “It’s different to see am- have been found and its Menemenoglou, a 39-year-
less antiquities that still lie All that survives is the car- phoras ... individually in a discovery was of major sig- old recreational diver from
scattered on the country’s go, the exposed parts of museum and different to nificance to historians. the central town of Volos.
seabed. the wooden ship having see them in such concen- “Up to then, we thought “It was a fantastic experi-
Ancient shipwrecks and long since rotted away. But tration.” that large ships that were ence. It’s really like diving
even many more recent the sight is spectacular. The wreck still holds myster- carrying 1,500 amphoras into history.”
ones are still off-limits. Thousands of ancient vas- ies. Only a small part has and were up to 70 tons, Three other shipwrecks in
Now that seems to be es, the vast majority intact, been excavated, and ex- they were built by the Ro- the Pagasitic Gulf in central
gradually changing, with a lie in layers. perts have yet to determine mans in the 1st century Greece are also included
new project to create un- Fish, sponges and other how or why it sank, or what B.C.,” Hadjidaki explained. in the project, which is part
derwater museums. sea creatures have made other treasures it might “Well, now we have a ship of a European Commission-
Divers will be able to tour the amphoras their home, have carried beneath the that was not built in the 1st funded BlueMed program,
certain shipwrecks and adding color and life to the estimated 4,000 amphoras century B.C., it was built in which plans to expand the
non-divers will experience site. In some places, the in its hold. the 5th century B.C., it car- project to Italy and Croatia.
the sites through virtual re- cargo towers above divers There are indications a fire ried 4,000 amphoras and More test dives will be held
ality in information centers as they pass along the pe- had broken out on board, God knows what else and this summer and next year,
on land. rimeter of the wreck. but it’s unclear whether it’s 126 tons.” with hopes of fully opening
The first of these sites is the “It is very impressive. Even that contributed to its sink- Hadjidaki said she is thrilled the sites to recreational div-
Peristera shipwreck, named I, who have been working ing. the wreck is being opened ing in early 2021.
for the uninhabited Greek for years in underwater ar- “Was it a piracy act? Was to visitors. “Accessible archaeologi-
island opposite Alonissos chaeology, the first time I it overloaded?” said Elpida “It’s fantastic. Twenty-five cal sites are one of the
where it was discovered in dived on this wreck I was Hadjidaki, the first archae- years ago, I was the first most interesting projects —
the early 1990s. truly impressed,” said Dimi- ologist to excavate the site. person that proposed that not just a Greek project but
The cargo ship was laden tris Kourkoumelis, the lead These questions remain un- and people were jumping a worldwide project,” said
with thousands of ampho- archaeologist on the proj- answered. at me, they thought I was Kourkoumelis, who noted
it has taken a long time to
get to the point of allow-
ing visitors to access an an-
cient wreck.
“It took years. And that’s
logical, because underwa-
ter ancient sites and par-
ticularly ancient shipwrecks
are exposed ... and frag-
ile,” he said, noting it was
crucial to properly set up
the project and the dive
conditions, making sure the
sites are protected before
they can be opened to the
public.
In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, divers visit a In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, ancient amphoras “All the conditions must
5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be lie at the bottom of the sea from a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, be ensured so that these
opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, sites remain safe in the fu-
divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the ture and for future genera-
Peristera, Greece. wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. tions,” he added.q
Associated Press Associated Press