Massive Ancient Greek city discovered submerged in Aegean Sea [View all]

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The city had a massive fortress never found before in settlements from this period (Hellenic Ministry of Culture)

By Hannah Osborne | International Business Times – 5 hours ago

An ancient Greek city has been discovered sunken beneath the Aegean Sea. The settlement dates back around 4,500 years (2,500 BC) and was the size of around 10 football fields, covering an area of 12 acres.

Archaeologists from the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, University of Geneva and the Swiss School of Archaeology found the fortified Bronze Age settlement in Khilada Bay, in the Argolic Gulf. They found at least three huge horseshoe-shaped foundations attached to the wall line – which they say was possibly part of towers used to defend the settlement.

Defensive structures of this kind have never been found before from this time period in Greece, thd University of Geneva's Julien Beck said. He told Spero Forum: "The importance of our discovery is partly due to the large size. There must have been a brick superstructure above a stone foundation. The chances of finding such walls under water are extremely low. The full size of the facility is not yet known. We do not know why it is surrounded by fortifications."

The find was announced by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs. The team had been looking for traces of prehistoric human activity on the eastern side of the Argolic Gulf. The city was submerged between one and three metres beneath the surface and consisted of a multitude of stone buildings of differing shapes, including rectangular, circular and arcs. They found paved surfaces, which they believe to be streets.



The settlement was the size of 10 football pitches (Hellenic Ministry of Culture)

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/massive-ancient-greek-city-discovered-submerged-aegean-sea-photos-1517615

The ship that found it.



The solar powered Terra Submersa.



http://www.planetsolar.org/boat/sections/the_boat