Antikythera shipwreck yields remarkable artifacts

Researchers have discovered several extraordinary items at the Antikythera shipwreck site in Greece, including bronze statue pieces and a mystery disc decorated with a bull. The statue pieces, notably a bronze arm and two marble feet attached to a plinth, were found lodged under massive boulders, leading the international team to believe that at least seven life-size statues could be hidden nearby - something that would be considered a unique find from the time period. " This is an indication that the missing six bronze sculptures represented in the National Archaeological Museum by pieces recovered in the original 1901 salvage operation, are surely waiting for us to find them", says Lund University marine archaeologist Brendan Foley, who co-led the excavation with Theotokis Theodoulou of the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. Over 2,000 years ago, the large Roman ship sank in the Aegean Sea, scattering its cargo across the seafloor. Since the discovery of the wreck by sponge divers in 1900, a stunning range of artifacts have been discovered, including bronze and marble statues, jewellery, pottery, and the famous Antikythera Mechanism; dubbed the world's oldest known computer. Last year, the researchers discovered a human skeleton so well-preserved it could lead to DNA recovery. In addition to the statue pieces, the team also unearthed a curious bronze object.