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by Konstantinos Tzikas, Vassilis Vafidis
ATHENS, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Greek officials are striving to create underwater archaeological museums, in an effort to promote diving tourism and thus help Greece's debt-stricken economy, local authorities have said.
Antiquities and the Mediterranean Sea have traditionally been the top two selling points of Greece as a holiday destination. With that in mind, Greek officials want to make better use of underwater archaeological findings to attract more tourists, local authorities told Xinhua during a recent visit to Pylos, in the Peloponnese peninsula of southwest Greece.
A historically significant city which has been inhabited since the Neolithic times, Pylos has been the site of numerous naval battles. These include the conflict between the Athenian and Spartan fleets during the Peloponnese War in 425 BC and the famous Battle of Navarino in 1827, which led to the independence of Greece.
Many artworks on the subject of the Battle of Navarino, such as portraits and engravings, are exhibited in the local Tsiklitiras Mansion. The exhibition, which forms part of the collection of French philhellene Rene Puaux, was set up by the Ephorate of Underwater Activities.
The Ephorate works methodically to retrieve and preserve artefacts from the numerous shipwrecks around the area. Some of these are currently exhibited in two museums housed inside the Niokastro, an impressive Venetian 16th-century fortress overlooking Pylos. It is the only location in Greece where visitors can have a closer look at many of these submerged treasures. Guides and videos provide information about the underwater excavations.
"The Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities aims to create underwater museums, that is, underwater archaeological sites which will be open to the public, similar to continental archaeological sites. We want people to be able to visit a significant underwater site, just like they can visit Olympia or Delphi or Knossos," the head of the Ephorate, Angeliki Simosi, told Xinhua as she guided Xinhua for tour of the Niokastro collections.
Xinhua is the first non-Greek news agency to be given permission to film the exhibitions, as well as the underwater sites in Pylos, according to the Greek authorities.
Pylos was the first area in Greece where the concept of underwater archaeology began to take shape back in 1983, the same year Simosi began work on the Ephorate. Currently, the Ephorate hopes to create an underwater museum inside Irene's Serenade, a tanker that sunk in Navarino Bay back in 1980.
"The entire bay contains an extraordinary number of shipwrecks. So far, there have been very few excavations in the area. The Ephorate plans to investigate further in the future. That's why we have decided to transform Irene's into an underwater museum, since it is easier to preserve a modern ship than it is an ancient one," Simosi told Xinhua.
Another major underwater archaeological site can be found close to the island of Sapienza, off the coast of Methoni and a few minutes' drive from Pylos. The seabed of Methoni is home to a sunken settlement from the Mycenaean times, as well as columns and sarcophagi from two Roman shipwrecks. The Methoni findings can be found in shallow waters, making it ideal for diving tourism.
Simosi would like to see a substantial collaboration between Greece and China, especially in the area of underwater cultural heritage. The head of the Ephorate hopes that Greece and China may undertake a collaborative research project in Epidaurus, where the Ephorate plans to create yet another underwater museum.It is thanking to such collaborative efforts that the Ephorate can continue its work, despite the on-going Greek debt crisis.
"I don't know why, but the Ephorate has not been touched by the crisis. We collaborate with many foreign universities and foundations. These collaborations are mutual," Simosi explained.
Simosi believes that the development of diving parks may rejuvenate the ailing economy of Greece, while also preserving the underwater antiquities in their original condition.
"Diving tourism will significantly boost Greek economy, because many wealthy people are interested in visiting these underwater sites. This should already be obvious from the shipwrecks of the Kea island which are regularly visited by rich yacht owners who ask for permission to dive in the area," Simosi told Xinhua. Enditem
