Antikythera Wreck Remaining Cargo
shipwreck cargo OPEN fame 4/5
The 1st-century-BCE Greek wreck off Antikythera, discovered by sponge divers in 1900, yielded the Antikythera mechanism and major bronze and marble statuary. Twenty-first-century expeditions indicate substantial scattered cargo — and possibly a second wreck — remain on the seabed, not yet fully excavated.
Scorecard
- +1.00 · class_prior
- +0.95 · Sponge divers discovered the Antikythera wreck in 1900; early recoveries…
- +0.42 · Jacques Cousteau's 1976 dives and the 2012-onward Return to Antikythera project…
- +3.00 · technique_term
- +2.00 · location_term
- -0.59 · search_term
- +3.00 · technique_term
- +2.00 · location_term
- -0.59 · search_term
Location hypotheses
The interactive map (Leaflet + OpenStreetMap tiles) is the one part of this page that needs a network connection; the hypothesis list below is the offline-readable source of truth.
| Hypothesis | Coords | Radius | Prior | Posterior | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antikythera wreck slope, off Antikythera island | 35.888, 23.305 | 1 km | 0.70 | — | The confirmed, repeatedly-surveyed site; remaining cargo lies here and possibly a second scatter. |
What would it take?
No emerging or speculative technique changes the picture yet — the frontier findability band (PLAUSIBLY-FINDABLE) equals the current band. A breakthrough here would need a genuinely new capability, not just a maturing one.
Evidence ledger (3 verified facts)
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Sponge divers discovered the Antikythera wreck in 1900; early recoveries (1900-01) brought up bronze and marble statues and the geared bronze Antikythera mechanism, proving a rich cargo was aboard.known by 1902-01-01 · diagnosticity high · confidence 0.95↳ Wikipedia: Antikythera wreck journalistic
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Jacques Cousteau's 1976 dives and the 2012-onward Return to Antikythera project recovered further artifacts and mapped the site, showing cargo remains scattered across the slope beyond the originally-worked area.known by 2015-01-01 · diagnosticity high · confidence 0.85↳ Wikipedia: Antikythera wreck journalistic
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The site lies at roughly 50-60 m depth on a steep slope with large boulders, limiting bottom time and requiring technical/rebreather diving — a genuine but surmountable access barrier that keeps recovery slow and incremental.known by 2017-01-01 · diagnosticity medium · confidence 0.80↳ Wikipedia: Antikythera wreck journalistic
Technique matrix
| Technique | Family | Maturity | Applicability | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diver visual survey | marine | available | 3/3 | The confirmed site is within technical-diving depth; divers do the recovery. |
| Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey | marine | available | 3/3 | ROVs extend bottom time on the steep boulder slope beyond safe diver limits. |
| Underwater excavation & recovery | ground truthing | available | 3/3 | Careful in-situ excavation is the actual recovery method for remaining cargo. |
| Photogrammetry | airborne space | available | 2/3 | 3D site models document context before and after lifts. |
| Side-scan sonar | marine | available | 2/3 | Maps the debris scatter and any second-wreck anomaly along the slope. |
Search history (negative evidence)
| Years | Technique | Coverage | Detection | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2022 | diver-survey | 60% | 70% | partial | Systematic mapping and recovery; site far from exhausted. |