Greek archipelago yields abundance of wrecks

Archaeologists find remains of 22 ancient merchant ships whose cargos reveal centuries-old trade routes

In the Fourni archipelago of the Greek Aegean region, towering underwater cliffs descend into the darkness. Marine archaeologists comb these murky depths for objects made by human hands - a ceramic shard encrusted with sea sponges, or an ancient vase that an eel has claimed for its home.

Here, through the centuries, human handiwork has been absorbed by its natural aquatic surroundings, with rock and reef steadily growing around any remnants of life from early western civilisation. The seeming improbability, then, of finding substantive artefacts in the patchwork makes discovery all the more exciting.

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