Archaeologists probe sunken harbor remains at site that inspired Seferis poem

Ancient Asine. [Handout/Culture Ministry]

A Swedish-Greek underwater survey disconnected a Mycenaean acropolis successful the Peloponnese made celebrated by Nobel Prize-winning writer George Seferis is producing caller insights connected harbour-building techniques pursuing rising oversea levels successful precocious antiquity.

A Culture Ministry statement Wednesday said past year’s probe astatine Asine, adjacent Tolo successful the Argolid, concentrated connected structures standing connected a large, man-made sunken level discovered successful caller years successful comparatively shallow waters under the acropolis.

Attempts to day the astir square structures by pottery recovered betwixt the stones were inconclusive, but the ministry said they look to post-date the seemingly Roman-era level that was astir apt a breakwater. With the transition of clip and the emergence successful oversea levels, this became submerged.

The square structures were apt the foundations of aboriginal piers built connected the submerged breakwater to let continued use of the harbor structures, the ministry said. It’s believed that the stones were primitively contained successful wooden crates that rotted away, leaving the stones successful unsmooth piles.

Asine was inhabited from the 6th millennium BC – when the acropolis elevation was astir apt an land – done Mycenaean times, when its Cyclopean antiaircraft walls were built, and astir of antiquity until the 5th period AD. During World War II it was fortified by occupying Italian troops who destroyed galore of the gathering remains.

Excavations were began by Swedish archaeologists successful 1922 pursuing an inaugural by Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, who explored the ιστοσελίδα successful 1920. A visit by Seferis successful 1938 resulted successful “The King of Asine,” 1 of his best-known poems. 

The underwater survey was carried retired successful precocious September and aboriginal October 2025, arsenic a collaboration betwixt the ministry and the Swedish In­sti­tute astatine Athens and Stock­holm Uni­ver­sity, with par­tic­i­pants from the Uni­ver­sity of Gothen­burg and the com­pany Nordic Mar­itime Group. 

The  five-year pro­ject started successful Oc­to­ber 2023, and aims to analyse the underwater structures with a view to re­lating them to the set­tle­ments connected land.