The Wreck Of An Ancient Greek Ship Discovered By Two Scuba Divers Off The Coast Of Sicily In 1988 Is Now Being Hauled Out Of The Mediterranean To Go On Display
Off the coast of Bulala, Sicily, the wreck of an ancient Greek ship was discovered by two scuba divers in 1988. The ship was from the 5th century B.C.E. and was later named “Gela II.”
The wreck was explored in 1995, and a series of missions salvaged various artifacts from Corinthian helmets to ingots of orichalcum, a rare metal alloy made up of copper and zinc. It was associated with the mythical city of Atlantis.
According to Hesiod, a Greek poet from the 7th century B.C.E., the most important structures in Atlantis were covered with orichalcum.
Now, the ship is being hauled out from the depths of the Mediterranean. Divers are in the process of taking apart and recovering the wooden remains, which will undergo restoration before going on display at the Archaeological Park of Gela.
The recovery comes after an earlier underwater excavation of another ancient Greek shipwreck called “Gela I.” Last year, the remains of the wreck went on display in a museum in Bosco Littorio. It is hoped that these types of discoveries will boost interest in Sicily’s history.
The Gela II was discovered in 1988 when two scuba divers were exploring the waters off the coast of Bulala near the port of Gela in Sicily.
The ship dates to the 5th century B.C.E. and measures about 50 feet in length and 16 feet in width. It lies approximately 1,000 feet deep. It used to carry large cargo loads between ports in the Mediterranean Sea.
The first thorough investigation of the wreck was carried out seven years after its discovery, which yielded several intriguing finds, including the Corinthian helmets and 86 orichalcum ingots.
Orichalcum has long been a subject of fascination. Sources like Plato describe orichalcum as a valuable metal, second only to gold. It was said to adorn the walls of the Temple of Poseidon and Cleito in Atlantis.
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In the past, there was much debate over the metal’s composition. A modern analysis of the ingots from the Gela II showed that they were composed of 75 to 80 percent copper and 14 to 20 percent zinc, along with traces of lead, nickel, and iron.
According to Sebastiano Tusa, the former superintendent of Sicily’s Sea Office, the ingots most likely originated from Greece or Asia Minor.
“The discovery of orichalcum ingots is significant because nothing similar has ever been found,” said Tusa.
“We knew of orichalcum from ancient texts and a few ornamental objects, but these ingots are unprecedented.”
The artifacts prompted a number of archaeology groups and the Italian government to conduct a full excavation of the shipwreck.
The researchers have finally started removing the Gela II from the bottom of the sea, where it has been resting for decades.
The Soprintendenza del Mare of the Sicilian region and companies Atlantis of Monreale and Cosiam of Gela are working together on the operation.
The operation is expected to take around 270 days to complete. Hopefully, the Gela II will attract additional cultural and tourist interest.
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