Overview
- Divers working with the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology documented the wreck near the submerged island of Antirhodos about 50 meters from the Isis temple site.
- The hull measures over 35 meters by roughly 7 meters, with Greek inscriptions on the keel dating it to the first half of the first century CE.
- Finds indicate a lavish cabin and oar-only propulsion, consistent with courtly leisure craft described in ancient sources such as Strabo.
- UNESCO and the excavation team favor preserving the wreck in place at roughly seven meters depth beneath 1.5 meters of sediment while further analyses proceed.
- Project lead Franck Goddio proposes the vessel may have sunk during seismic and storm events around 50 CE, as wider research on the adjacent temple continues with recent publications from Oxford’s maritime archaeology center.