Methoni’s Shipwrecks

Shipwreck of columns
Around 1920 local fishermen located archaeological finds, lying on the seabed close to the northern cape of Sapienza (Cape Karsi), opposite the village Methoni.
In 1925 the lawyer/ historian Dionisios Potaris (1860-1932), following fishermen indications, located and recorded the ‘marbles’, in a distance of 50-60 m from the northern shore of Sapienza and in a depth of 6-7 m.
The ‘shipwreck of columns’ lies in a depth of 10 m, close to the Cape Spitha.  Parts of the columns are aligned and situated at the seabed, while other parts are scattered in a wider area around. 34 parts of fragmented, plain, single stone columns were located. Only one of them is intact, having a height of 8 m and diameter of 0.90 m. 28 parts of the columns are concentrated and the remaining 6 are situated at a distance of 60 m from the rest. The particular shipwreck site will become the first underwater archaeological site that can be visited.

Shipwreck of stone sarcophagi

A second shipwreck has been located north of the island Sapienza relatively close to the shipwreck of columns. The shipwreck is lying at a depth of 15 m.
Its cargo contains a number of stone sarcophagi including their covers. The sarcophagi are intact except for one, which probably ruined when the ship sunk. The sarcophagi measures 2.20 x 0.80 m.
The sarcophagi bear reliefs; their decoration is simple containing floral motifs, boukranion etc. The covers are curved with simple, shaped decoration at the edges. The shipwreck is dated to the 3rd century AD.
At the end of 1970, EUA conducted a systematic archaeological research. A collaborative assignment between EUA and University of Bologna and Prof. A. Nanneti took place by initiating an educational program focusing on the study of shipwreck of Sarcophagi and of shipwreck of columns.

Similar shipwrecks of sarcophagi have been located close to island Syros and in the marine area between island Andros and island Tinos.