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The Persian Fleet Shipwreck Found

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:32 pm
by ruthaki
Some exciting news. They have located the site off Mt. Athos where the Persian fleet was shipwrecked and have located several artifacts. I know this isn't exactly "Alexander" related, but still it's part of the history. If you want details, I'll post them later. The project is 'shedding light on one of those crucial moments in western history.'

Re: The Persian Fleet Shipwreck Found

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:18 am
by chris
Hi RuthSounds exciting, and yes, please post details.Chris

Re: The Persian Fleet Shipwreck Found

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:57 am
by yiannis
I believe Ruth is reffering to this:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natu ... Apparently, there's a joint effort by Greeks/Canadians to find the remnands of the first fleet that Darius has send to Greece in 492 BC. The one that was severelly destroyed by storm at Mount Athos.

Re: The Persian Fleet Shipwreck Found

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 12:29 pm
by ruthaki
Yes, the Canadian Arch. Society of Athens is working with the Greeks on this project. Quite exciting. I'll post details later today.

Re: The Persian Fleet Shipwreck Found

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 8:10 pm
by ruthaki
Here's some of the news re the Persian fleet:
"The project is shedding light on one of those crucial mements in western history. For the Greeks, this was a seminal event in their national consciousness, something they never forgot" (the shipwrecks)
"The destruction of the Persin armada is recorded in the writings of Herodotus....
'From Thasos, the felet stood across to the mainland, and sailed along shore to Acanthus whence an attempt was made to double Mount Athos. But here a violent north wind sprang up against which nothing could content....it is said the nubmer of ships destroyed was little short of 300 and the men who perished were more than 20,000.'"
The epic disaster decimated the invasion fleet, weakening the Persian emptire's military might and undermining several subseuent attempts by King Darius I and his son Xerxes to conquer Greece."So far they have found a couple of helmets (snagged on a fisherman's net), a storage jar, a bronze weapon point with part of the wooden shaft still lodged in its socket. They have not found the wreck itself and believe it is entirely buried by sediment. This suggest that organic elements of the ship and its cargo may be well preserved."