A new museum has opened in Greece, where guests can explore a shipwreck that has led on the ocean floor for over 2,500 years. The attraction labelled the ‘Parthenon of Shipwrecks’ is the first of its kind in the country. Guests will be able to look around the wreck, which lies off the coast of Alonissos island and Peristera, an uninhabited island in the Aegean Sea.
The shipwreck was first discovered in the early 1990s, and has taken the name of Peristera, the island in which it is nearest to. To be able to dive down and explore the shipwreck for yourself, you must first be a qualified amateur open water diver.
For those who are wanting to experience the shipwreck for themselves but don’t have the relevant qualifications, a virtual reality tour is available in the information centre in Alonissos. Five underwater cameras have been installed on location, providing a live feed of the divers in action, which can also be viewed at the information centre.
The Peristera shipwreck was originally a large merchant ship, which is thought to have sunk due to extreme weather conditions. Divers can still see some of the ship’s precious cargo that was unfortunately lost at sea.
Amphorae vases of wine, lost at sea.
The boat was carrying thousands of amphorae, which are two-handled vases of wine. The jugs helped to show the form of the ship because of how they settled on the ocean floor. Although the wine itself is long gone, the vases have been very well preserved at the bottom of the sea and are still there to be seen by guests.
The site was first excavated by archaeologist Dr Elpida Hadjidaki in 1992, and then again in 1993, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
The site opened last Saturday, and its pilot scheme now runs until 2 October this year. If it is to be successful, there are plans in place to open three more ancient shipwrecks in the Pagasetic Gulf. The remaining shipwrecks date back to Classical and Byzantine times.
Last month saw the opening of an underwater museum in Sri Lanka. The museum lies in the seas off Galle, on the southern coast of the island country, and aims to promote marine life to tourists visiting the country.
