At the bottom of the strait between the tiny Greek islands of Delos and Rinia in the Aegean Sea, archaeologists have discovered the remains of seven ancient merchant ships. The search for sunken ships near Delos was carried out purposefully, but such a "rich" result in just three weeks of research came as a surprise even to the scientists themselves.
The study of the seabed around Delos and Rinia is only part of a larger joint project between the Inspectorate of Underwater Antiquities of Greece and the National Foundation for Greek Research, according to the Archaiologia website. The main goal of this project is to study the urban infrastructure of the island of Delos in the late Hellenistic era.
The island of Delos (Delos) is a paradoxical place. A piece of sushi less than 4 square meters. km is not able to provide itself with anything: fresh water supplies are limited here, everything else has to be imported from outside. The island has no permanent population - it is considered uninhabited, the only inhabitants of Delos are museum workers. Nowadays, the whole island, as a whole, has the status of an open-air museum, and all objects on Delos are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Delos island. Ruins of the Temple of Isis
Photo from the site windmillstravel.com
The history of Delos began in the 3rd millennium BC, but the gods made him famous, namely Apollo (in ancient Greek myths and legends, Delos is recorded as the place of his birth). Between 900 and 100 BC the tiny island was the most important religious center: like the sanctuaries at Delphi and Olympia, the sanctuary of Apollo on Delos was of general Hellenic significance. Every five years, festivities in honor of Apollo were held here, and pilgrims from all Greek territories came to Delos.
The strait between Delos and Rinea was one of the most important sea passages of the Aegean Sea. On the sacred island with convenient bays, a large port city grew up, serving for centuries as the center of maritime trade between the eastern and western Mediterranean. Delos port facilities stretched for almost a kilometer along the coastline.
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The importance of Delos was not disputed even by numerous conquerors: Philip the Great built a basilica here, and after the conquest of the island by the Romans in 166 BC. e. Delos received the status of a free port. Trade contributed to its prosperity even more than the cult of Apollo. The historian Strabo left this description of the island: “Although Delos became famous in this way, however, with the destruction of Corinth, his fame increased even more. For the merchants conducting overseas trade were sent to Delos, since they were attracted there by the freedom from taxes and duties, which the sanctuary enjoyed, and the convenience of the harbor. Indeed, the island is well located for those sailing from Italy and Greece to Asia."
From the records of the same Strabo it is known that Delos was also the largest center of the slave trade. For centuries, money flowed to Delos and through Delos by the river, all this explains the density of monuments per square meter of the island. It is not surprising that excavations at Delos have been under way since the 19th century and continue to this day.
Ancient Greek amphitheater on Delos
Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia
This year, scientists were able to conduct a detailed study of the seabed in the coastal area. Scientists also explored the northern side of Skardana Bay and part of the coast of Rinia Island, adjacent to Delos.
The ruins of numerous buildings were discovered and mapped, at a depth of 5 to 20 meters, archaeologists found the remains of a colonnade, and one of the buildings lying under the water on a strong foundation could be part of the port facilities. This guess is confirmed by the remains of a merchant ship found only 35 meters from the walls of the building, but to confirm this hypothesis, an underwater excavation must be carried out.
Foundations of a structure found in Skardan Bay
Photo: Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities
The data collected suggest that there was more than one port on Delos: the small but convenient bay of Skardana could be used as an auxiliary commercial harbor near the central harbor of Delos. In this coastal area, as well as in the strait between Delos and Rinia, the wrecks of seven ancient merchant ships were found: six of them Greek (dated to the late Hellenistic period, 1st century BC) and one - Roman.
It was the Roman ship that aroused the curiosity of scientists. It is known that in the first century BC, Delos experienced tragic events, after which he never recovered. In 88 BC, during the war of Rome with Mithridates VI of Pontus, Delos was attacked - all of its inhabitants, almost 20 thousand people, were killed or sent into slavery, according to the ancient chronicles. In 69 BC, the city was plundered by sea robbers. Delos was never able to recover from these shocks: the island became depopulated, in the absence of its own natural resources, it could not exist without outside help, and with the emergence of new players in the Mediterranean arena of maritime trade, Delos finally lost its once prestigious status.
However, the remains of a Roman ship found near Delos may change these long-standing views of the island's history. Apparently, trading activity in the port of Delos continued for some time after the tragic events of the 1st century BC. This find is consistent with new archaeological evidence obtained on land: during recent excavations on the island, evidence of the presence of people on Delos and in the Roman era, that is, in the first centuries of our era, was found.
Rewriting the history of Delos is like rewriting the history of the Mediterranean: this miniature island has long been the crossroads of the great civilizations of its time.
Maria Myasnikova