Underwater Museum in Greece Is “the Parthenon of Shipwrecks”

Diving into a oversea of amphorae disconnected Alonissos. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

The past shipwreck of Peristera, disconnected the Greek land of Alonissos, dubbed “the Parthenon of shipwrecks,” opened up successful May 2021 to divers, who tin present sojourn the celebrated shipwreck of amphorae from the 5th period BC.

Accompanied by instructors, divers tin get a adjacent look astatine the immense heap of amphorae, which extends to the oversea bottommost for a magnitude of 25 meters.

Because of looting concerns, the undersea antiquities were antecedently accessible lone to archaeologists and those with peculiar permission.

Now, recreational divers tin plunge into the waters and, astatine a extent of astir eighty feet, brushwood the alleged Peristera, named aft the neighboring uninhabited islet. As the wreck dates backmost to astir 425 BC, diving to it is astir similar traveling successful a clip machine.

A fisherman was the archetypal to brushwood the past shipwreck successful 1985 adjacent the occidental rocky enactment of Peristera astatine a extent of 28 meters (92 feet). A ample merchant ship, perchance 1 from Athens, sank determination astir 425 BC.

It was loaded with thousands of vino amphorae from Mendi, an past metropolis of Halkidiki, and Peparithos, today’s Skopelos, areas known successful antiquity for their wine. The shipwreck is 1 of the astir important successful each of classical antiquity.

Peristera shipwreck 1 of the astir good preserved

“Large vessels similar this [39 by 82 feet] were considered to beryllium archetypal built successful Roman times. Peristera shipwreck, though, documents their beingness already successful the past 4th of the 5th period BC,” Pari Kalamara, manager of Greece’s Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, told National Geographic recently.

The shipwreck is besides 1 of the astir good preserved. “The amphorae cargo has maintained its consistency and remains successful place, successful layers, arsenic they were loaded successful the hold, indicating the vessel’s shape,” says Kalamara. “This is simply a importantly unsocial acquisition for the divers, who tin visualize a classical-era vessel.”

Its probe was carried retired by archaeologists and the unit of the Ephorate of Marine Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture, who managed the opening of the shipwreck to the public.

The awesome fig of amphorae, fantabulous information of the shipwreck, and quality of the exotic waters, located wrong the protected country of ​​the National Marine Park of Alonissos, marque the Peristera shipwreck an intriguing destination for each experienced diver.

Access to the mysterious satellite of the seabed, however, is not lone for diving friends but each visitors of Alonissos, who person the accidental to bask the unsocial spectacle of the shipwreck without adjacent getting wet.

In the enchanting alleys of Alonissos Town, the Center for Public Information provides visitors with broad accusation connected the past of past shipwrecks and the quality to “virtually dive” to the bottommost and “navigate shipwrecks” astir similar an existent diver done the usage of augmented world technology.