Alonissos: Treasures from the Depths of History

For centuries, the waters around Alonissos served as a bustling maritime highway, connecting Macedonia with the Aegean and the wider Mediterranean. Yet, despite their often calm appearance, these seas are notoriously tricky and unpredictable. Fickle winds and sudden weather shifts have always challenged captains navigating the coasts of Alonissos and its neighbouring islands – and tragically, for many vessels, these shores became their final resting place.

Wrecks from Classical Antiquity

The most spectacular and historically significant wreck is that off Peristera island, at the site known as "Pethamenos" (The Dead Man). Discovered by sponge divers in the early 20th century, it stunned the scientific community with the sheer volume and importance of its cargo: approximately 4,000 amphorae, primarily filled with wine from Mende in Chalkidiki, Skopelos (ancient Peparithos), and Alonissos (ancient Ikos), providing vivid proof of the intense trade activity of the era. The ship itself is estimated to have had a displacement of over 110 tons – far exceeding previous estimates of ancient Greek shipbuilding capabilities.

The significance of the find is further underscored by the elegant Athenian black-glazed symposium ware recovered from the wreck: kylixes (drinking cups), oinochoai (wine jugs), pinakia (small plates), alongside bronze ladles and bowls adorned with intricate floral motifs (anthemia). These artefacts offer glimpses into daily life and the trade in luxury goods during that period.

Other important classical shipwrecks have been located at Fanggrou (near Kyra-Panagia island), Cape Tsélios, and Psathoura – where the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau himself once dived, retrieving an amphora.

Byzantine and Medieval Remains

In Vasilikos Bay, also off Peristera, lies the largest known Byzantine shipwreck (12th century), a concentrated site containing over 4,000 amphorae. Divers believe this might actually be three separate wrecks – with the largest unofficially dubbed "Number 8," owing to the arrangement of its amphorae resembling the numeral.

Numerous Byzantine wrecks have been documented around Kyra-Panagia, at Katergo, Cape Psari, and in Agios Petros Bay, known locally as "the shipwreck with the plates" – as plates salvaged from there adorned Alonissos homes for years before disappearing into overseas auctions in the 1960s.

Modern Wrecks and Wartime Stories

More than 30 more recent shipwrecks are scattered around the island, serving as popular destinations for recreational divers. Standing out amongst them is the impressive German Junkers bomber from World War II, which ditched near Psathoura in 1942 due to fuel shortage. It was first discovered 49 years later by sponge diver Giorgos Drosakis.

Greece's First Underwater Museum

The Peristera shipwreck is no longer solely the domain of archaeologists. Since 2020, it has been transformed into an Underwater Museum, open to the public, making it Greece's first submerged archaeological site accessible by diving. Visitors, guided by certified professionals, can dive down and experience a living encounter with history firsthand.

An Advanced Open Water Diver certification is required.

Dive centres offering organised visits:

• Alonissos Seacolours Dive Center
• Alonissos Triton Dive Center
• Ikion Diving Center Alonissos

Alonissos is more than just an island of nature and tranquillity. It's a place where the sea preserves the indelible marks of history, a seabed teeming with secrets waiting to be discovered. Aided by science, technology, and the spirit of exploration through diving, a fascinating world opens up before us – silent, yet more eloquent than ever before.