Dokos shipwreck

The Dokos shipwreck is the oldest underwater shipwreck discovery known to archeologists. The wreck has been dated to the second Proto-Helladic period, 2700-2200 BC.

The remains of the shipwreck are located about 15–30 meters underwater off the coast of southern Greece near the island of Dokos (ancient name Aperopia) in the Aegean Sea. Dokos island is about 60 miles east of Sparta, Peloponnese.

The ship itself is long gone, as everything biodegradable has been taken back by the sea. The remains at the sea floor of a cargo site of hundreds of clay vases and other ceramic items are evidence of the shipwreck. The four-thousand-year-old ancient shipwreck was discovered by Peter Throckmorton on August 23, 1975.

The Dokos wreck site was extensively excavated in 1989-1992 by the Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology (HIMA). Archaeologist Dr. George Papathanasopoulos, President of HIMA, conducted this first ever full-scale excavation in Greece of an ancient shipwreck. Due to the irregularity of the seabed, a new system, the Sonic High Accuracy Ranging and Positioning (SHARPS) was used to plot and map the underwater finds. Additional surveys were conducted and the Early Helladic period was confirmed.

According to HIMA, the Cycladic pottery evidence is dated to around 2200 BC and the oldest known underwater shipwreck yet discovered. The clay pots appear to be merchandise from an ancient Argolida manufacturing facility. It is guessed that these were intended for trade to small coastal villages around the Gulf of Argos and the Myrtoan Sea. The cargo site consists of one of the largest collections of Early Helladic II pottery known. This Helladic pottery technology was even before the invention of the pottery wheel.

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