58 ancient shipwrecks found in Fournoi, Greece

The wrecks were found in the small island of Fournoi, and represent a huge period from ancient Greece right through to the 20th century. Most are dated back to the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras.

When the team began its survey two years ago in 2015, they found 22 shipwrecks. Now the number of these shipwrecks found increased With their to 58.

A member of the team said this discovery may be one of the top archaeological discoveries of the century.

The vessels are believed to had been carrying goods on routes from the Black Sea, Greece, Asia Minor, Italy, Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, the Levant, Egypt and north Africa. The team also discovered over 300 antiquities from the shipwrecks, including amphorae.

The ships probably sank due to bad weather and they were all found on the same region, which experiencessudden, fierce squalls and has rocky shores, Reuters reported.

Fournoi was a stoppover point for ships which wanted to spend the night. They were also considered a pirate’s haven, as pirates were drawn to the area by large number of vessels laden with rich cargo.

The condition of the shipwrecks vary, as some are well preserved, while others are in pieces due to crashes on the rocks.

The survey team made this discovery after sightings by local sponge divers and fishermen.