Kasos: Shipwrecks and findings from 3,000 BC. revealed by underwater archaeological research

 As stated in the relevant announcement of the Ministry of Culture, from 2019, the research team of the National Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture carried out four research missions in areas of special interest, utilizing archaeological and historical evidence, sources, testimonies and reports on the island of Kasos, from Homer's Iliad until modern times. The survey was completed at the end of October 2023.

The findings were recorded and documented with modern scientific methods, while sample lifts of archaeological objects were carried out, the study of which offers new information and archaeological data, aspects of the history of Kasos as well as the rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean. Sunken remains of ancient ships with goods from Spain, Italy, Africa and the coasts of Asia Minor were brought to light by an interdisciplinary team of Greek and foreign researchers and professors, diving archaeologists, historians, architects, surveyors, conservators, geologists, biologists, artisans, postgraduate students, PhD candidates, post-doctoral researchers and other specialists.

As the announcement of the Ministry of Culture notes, the thorough study of the material at depths of -20m. up to -47m brought to light unique finds, including: a Spanish Dressel 20 amphora with a seal on its handle dated between 150-170 AD, drinking vessels, terra sigillata flasks, which belong to the Roman period of African origin, stone anchor of the Archaic period, as well as other important archaeological evidence. At the same time, the mapping and bathymetry of the Kasos-Karpathos reef and the Karpatholimnion area was carried out for the first time, with the use of a side scanning sonar machine. Finally, the remains of a shipwreck from the latest period, possibly from the World War II era, were identified. It is a wooden boat with metal elements, the size of which is estimated at 25m.-30m.

It is worth mentioning that the underwater research in Kasos was the subject of an original film production by AORI FILMS entitled "Diving into the History of the Aegean", available in Greek and English versions at https://kasosproject.com/. The film has already been selected for participation in the competition section of leading international archaeological film festivals, including The Archeology Channel International Film Festival in America and Firenze Archeofilm Festival in Europe.

The assessment of the overall research, enriched with original studies by historians, archaeologists, conservators and other scientists will be the subject of a foreign language collective volume planned to be published in late 2024 by the National Research Foundation. In June 2024, it is planned to expand the research to the marine area of Karpathos, which forms a single geographical entity with Kasos, the Ministry of Culture emphasizes, among other things.