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Antiquities in Aegean Fall Prey to Looters, Time : Archeological Treasures at Sea Bottom

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Reuters

An archeologist’s treasure-trove lies hidden in ancient wrecks at the bottom of the Aegean Sea, open to looting and the ravages of time.

Some 7,000 years of trade and navigation across the eastern Mediterranean by Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians and others have left hundreds of wrecks littering reefs throughout Greek waters.

“Sometimes you can dive the same reef and find three completely different wrecks of a different history. You find a Roman wreck that lies on top of a classical wreck and a modern wreck on top of that,” professional diver and sea salvage expert Peter Nicolaides told Reuters.

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“The wreck is more like an unlooted tomb. It is a concentrated collection of artifacts--the tools, the coinage--it’s all there in one boat,” he said.

Greece’s Underwater Archaeological Service is the only organization allowed to conduct underwater digs, although it does run joint programs with foreign archeological schools.

But its resources are mainly taken up with surveying coastal sites for antiquities before building permits are issued.

Director Dimitris Kazianis said that this summer the service plans preliminary work on the oldest wreck it has excavated, a vessel from the 5th Century lying off the coast of the island of Rhodes.

Experts believe the ship was carrying a cargo of amphoras, huge clay storage jars, from the island of Chios to Rhodes.

Excavations have also begun on a 17th-Century wreck, the La Terese, off Crete and of a wreck off the island of Euboea.

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Nicolaides, who has discovered wrecks in the course of his work as president of a firm of underwater surveyors and contractors for marine structures and pipelines, said the Greek archeological service is not doing enough to uncover Greece’s underwater heritage.

He points to his discovery last year of the treasure-laden flagship of the Turkish fleet, the Burlota Saimaz, which was sunk by the Greeks after the Turks looted Chios in 1822.

The sinking of the flagship by Greek caiques (small boats) loaded with explosives drew world attention to the Greek struggle for independence from 400 years of Turkish rule.

More than 2,000 Turks and 700 prisoners from Chios as well as gold and silver from the pillaging of the wealthy island close to the Turkish coast were on the ship when it sank. According to records, some 300 people were saved.

Nicolaides said little has been done to excavate the wreck, which lies in 165 feet of water close to the island’s shore.

State archeologists say the wreck is very deep and, according to their preliminary excavations, it would be an expensive and time-consuming task.

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Nicolaides also said the wreck of the Mentor, which sank in 1800 off the island of Kithira while carrying the controversial Elgin Marbles to Italy, has not been fully investigated.

Greece is trying to reclaim the marbles, ancient sculptures from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens, from London’s British Museum.

Nicolaides is positive that some of the marbles are lying around the wreck despite official logs showing that they were all recovered.

When Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the marbles from the Parthenon with Turkish permission.

Nicolaiades said there should be a full investigation of a large rectangular piece of marble on the seabed at the wreck site. But government archeologists said a survey of the wreck has been done, and they are certain there are no antiquities from the Parthenon remaining.

While the treasures remain underwater they are open to looting by divers who sell to dealers in the highly profitable illicit antiquities market.

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