Greece opens up ancient shipwreck for public, will be monitored by high-tech cameras

An ancient shipwreck in Greece will soon be open to the public and divers and will be guarded by underwater cameras. This sea wreck is being turned into an underwater museum which will be monitored by AI-based high-tech cameras. This site is popularly known as the acropolis of the sea.

'Acropolis of the Sea' gets Underwater Camera

This shipwreck is of a wooden ship that sunk back in 5th century BC. It is located right off the Aegean Island of Alonnisos, Athens as per the international media reports.

According to the archaeologists, this ship sunk around Greece while transporting goods, particularly thousands of amphorae which may or may not be filled with wine. Amphorae are clay jars or jugs which have 2 handles. This allows archaeologists an insight into the commerce and trade in the Golden Age of Athens. 

The sunk shipwreck is ancient and it is essential to preserve its integrity. This is why the access to such underwater sites is usually restricted in Greece. On August 3, Greece finally opened it up for the public for the first time. The authorities have decided to turn this ancient site to an underwater museum and allow the public and divers to access this location.

This move came after they gained access to high-tech underwater cameras which allow them to monitor the site without any trouble. It is a high-tech underwater camera which comes with an image recognition software that will alert the authorities of the shipwreck is at risk or about to be disturbed. This underwater camera surveillance system is solar-powered and has luminosity triggered lens wipers which can aid in unclogging the remanents.

Moreover, for those who cannot go diving, they will have the opportunity to watch this location via virtual reality. This shipwreck is named as the Peristera wreck and happens to be the largest ship of its time to have been found. The discovery of Peristera wreck was of major significance to the historians. But there isn't any clarity on what really happened to the ship that caused it to sink and how. 

"Was it a piracy act? Was it overloaded? Up to then, we thought that large ships that were carrying 1,500 amphoras and were up to 70 tons, they were built by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. Well, now we have a ship that was not built in the 1st century B.C., it was built in the 5th century B.C., it carried 4,000 amphoras and God knows what else and it’s 126 tons.” said the first archaeologist to excavate the wreck, Elpida Hadjidaki.

For the first time in Europe, such a huge site with immense archaeological value and numerous objects will be open to public and divers for recreational purposes. This artificial intelligence-based surveillance system with underwater cameras opens up the doors to numerous other opportunities. This AI may allow the authorities to open up other sites as well.

(With inputs from AP news)