Surprise Find at Famed Shipwreck: Second Shipwreck

The legendary Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece has yielded all kinds of fascinating finds over the years, from statues to a mysterious mechanism described as an "ancient computer." Now, a new analysis has yielded another surprise at the site—a second shipwreck, reports Ancient Origins. Researchers discovered the remains of a wooden hull "beneath the crushed cargo it was carrying," according to the Greek Ministry of Culture, as translated at CBS News. At this point, the discovery appears to raise questions rather than answer them about the Antikythera wreck, which took place more than 2,000 years ago in unknown circumstances.

"Was there only one ship involved in this ancient maritime tragedy?" asks the ministry. "How exactly did the wreck happen? Did the human remains recovered in recent years belong to passengers or crew members?" All will be explored in future expeditions and in further analysis of the second wreck and other objects recovered in a May expedition to the site off the Greek island of Antikythera. The newly discovered wreck is about 650 feet away from the original, raising the possibility the ships were traveling together, per Fox News. (More Antikythera stories.)