One of the largest known shipwrecks from the Classical period, dubbed the “Parthenon of Shipwrecks,” will open as a dive site to visitors on June 1, the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports has announced.

The wreck is located in a marine reserve in the northwestern Aegean, and forms part of a new underwater museum – the first of its kind in Greece. Lying at a depth of 30 meters off the tiny islet of Peristera near Alonissos, the ancient wreck was carrying a cargo of between 3000 and 4000 wine amphorae (large ceramic transport jars) when it sank sometime in the last quarter of the 5th century BC. 

The National Marine Park of Alonissos in the Northern Sporades is a protected area where fishing and other disruptive activities are banned. It is the largest marine reserve in the Mediterranean, and home to a wealth of marine life, inlcuding the endangered monk seal (Monachus monachus).

The Peristera wreck dive site was inaugurated in August 2020, and an accompanying museum on underwater archaeology has also been created on the nearby island of Alonissos. 

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.