New exhibition on the Antikythera Wreck

A new periodical exhibition entitled The Antikythera Wreck: the Ship, the Treasures, the Mechanism will open from April 5th in the National Archaeological Museum. The exhibition will last for one year and it is expected with much impatience, as this will be the first time that some exhibits of the wreck will be presented to the public. Many objects of the exhibition are already presented in the National Archaeological Museum, such as the famous bronze Antikythera Ephebe and the beautiful marble sculptures that were pulled up from the Aegean seabed in 1900-1901.

Of course, the main attraction of the exhibition will be the Mechanism of Antikythera that dates from between the 2nd and the 1st century B.C. This is the most complex mechanism of the ancient times and even today its uses have not been completely clarified by the archaeologists. The exhibition will also host various findings from the wreck, a part of the wooden hull of the ship, 42 coins offered by the Numismatic Museum and 2 bronze statues that, although they belong to the National Archaeological Museum, they have been given to the Museum of the Olympic Games in Olympia on loan till 2015.

The Antikythera Wreck dates from 60-50 B.C. but its cargo dates from the 4th till the 1st century B.C. It was discovered by accident in 1900 by sponge divers at the depth of 40-64 meters. It was pulled up in two phases, the first in 1900-1901 and the second in 1976 with the help of the famous oceanographer Jacques Yves Cousteau.

More info at: Athens Archaeological museum