Archaeologist uncover never-seen-before head of ancient Greek god in a shipwreck

Off the island of Antikythera in southern Greece lies a wreck discovered by divers more than a century ago. Regularly excavated, it contains many valuable artefacts, and a recent expedition brought to light a head of a statue of Hercules.

A wreck several thousand years old

According to the researchers, the ship sank some 2100 years ago. They believe that it was supposed to sail to Rome, but hit rocks during a storm.

In the wreck, divers found human remains, obviously those of unlucky sailors, but also the head of a marble statue of the god Hercules. It was somewhat covered with marine deposits (after all, it had spent several millennia underwater before being found) but was perfectly recognisable. You can find the press release here.

The machine of Antikythera

This is not the first time that archaeologists have dived to discover the treasures of this wreck. A few years ago, researchers made a major discovery when they unearthed a mysterious bronze object... a machine from Antikythera.

The function of this device is still a mystery, but it could well be the world's first 'computer'. This machine, equipped with multiple gears, was obviously used to calculate the position of the stars. No other example of this machine has been found outside this wreck.

This article is translated from Gentside FR.

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