Fourni: A 5th century wreck A.D. – Eight different types of amphorae have been recorded

Important are the findings that have brought to light research in the area of the . Specifically in a wreck of the early Byzantine period (5th-6th century AD), which has been identified at Cape Aspros Kavos, in one of the inaccessible areas of Fournes, at a sandy bottom and depth of 43-49 meters, the Enalian Archaeological Research in the Archipelago of Furnes, conducted by the University of Thessaly and the Ephorate of Alionic Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture, was focused. This is the eighth research period of the marine research in the Furna Archipelago, completed in September 2023. According to the Ministry of Culture, this wreck has been systematically excavated since 2021 and has been selected for intensive investigation, due to its extremely interesting heterogeneous cargo. So far eight different types of amphorae have been recorded, originating from Crimea, Sinope and Heraclea of Pontus, in the Black Sea, as well as from the Aegean and a complementary cargo of table ceramics, from the region of Phocaea, Asia. The 2023 survey focused on the regional cleansing of the western, shallow side of the wreck from sand deposits, in order to address the phenomenon of landslides in the wreck area, due to the intense slope of the bottom. During the investigation, which faced multiple difficulties, due to adverse weather conditions, in the first fortnight of September 170 group dives were carried out and about 15 cubic meters of ground were removed, revealing an extensive load dispersion on the shallow side of the wreck, mainly from plate arrays. The dispersal of finds on the bottom appears to suggest a partial cargo loss, before the ship sinks and ends in the final deposition position, in the 40-50 metres zone. The elevated table ceramics was particularly enlightening as to the precise chronological inclusion of the wreck, which can now safely date between the years 480 and 520 AD, probably during the years of Emperor Anastasios First (491 – 518 AD), known from historographics, you went, above all, for his tax and monetary reforms, which strengthened the state’s funds and allowed the expansionary policy of the emperors of the 6th century, notes the Ministry. At the same time, with the excavation in the wreck, there were excavations of finds from three more shipwrecks of the Fournes archipelago, which are intended for their museum exhibition at the recommended Archaeological Museum of Fournes. These findings include a giant stave of anchor archaic times and amphorae from wrecks of the 6th century BC and 7th and 8th century AD. An equally important aspect of the research was the training of nine undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Thessaly in the methods and practices of marine archaeology, gaining considerable experience for their vocational training and subsequent development. The research was managed by the assistant professor of marine archaeology of the University of Thessaly George Koutsouflakis and the archaeologist of the Marine Antiquities Ephorate Dionysios Evangelist. The research framed a staff of 30 divers from different disciplines (archaeologists, architects, antiquities conservationists, professional divers, photographers, students).