Fourni shipwreck yields early Byzantine pottery

Archaeologists investigating a cluster of ancient shipwrecks first discovered in 2018 in the small island archipelago of Fourni in the eastern Aegean published a progress report Friday.

According to the report, released on the completion of the sixth underwater mission in 2021, investigations focused on an early Byzantine shipwreck found at a depth of 43-48 meters.

The vessel’s significance lies in its good state of preservation and the diversity of its cargo – 15 amphorae of six different types, originating from Crimea and the Black Sea. The cargo also contained pottery from northwestern Asia Minor dating between 480-520 AD, during the rule of Byzantine Emperor Anastasios.

Twenty-five divers spent a total of 220 hours in a mission overseen by archaeologist Giorgos Koutsouflakis.

Nearly 60 wrecks have been discovered in the area, most from Greek, Roman and Byzantine times.