ATHENS – [ANA-MPA]
A fragment of a marble decorative element was found in the Kythira shipwreck of the brig ‘Mentor’, owned and used by Lord Elgin to remove antiquities from Greece, according to 2025 underwater excavation report released by the Ministry of Culture on March 16.
The fragment comes from a marble slab measuring 9.3 cm x 4.7 cm, with a surviving decorative element of a gutta that has a diameter of 6.51 cm and is 2.2 cm high, an element comparative to those used at the Parthenon. It is the first time an architectural element has been found during excavations.
Mentor was carrying Greek antiquities when it sank in September 1802 off the port of Avlemonas in southeast Kythira after running into rocks, according to Lord Elgin’s secretary William Hamilton. He coordinated the hoisting of the ship’s cargo, most of which was salvaged with the help of sponge divers.
The excavations for the 2025 season took place west and north of the remains of the ship, the Ministry of Culture said, and the findings include parts of the ship’s equipment, and fragments of utensils for daily use, among other objects. Most of the hull’s wood has rotted from its exposure on the bottom of the sea.
Leading the excavation team is archaeologist Dimitrios Kourkoumelis-Rodostamos, deputy head of the Underwater Antiquities Ephorate. The team included archaeologists, marine biologits, diving instructors, underwater photographers, conservation specialists, and sea depth specialists. The excavations are conducted at a depth of 21.90 m from the surface of the sea.
