Six divers arrested in Greece

Greek media are reporting the arrest of six local divers who are accused of illegally searching for and extracting artefacts from an ancient Roman shipwreck. The men were arrested on 22 August by the coast guard on the coast of Mani, near Gytheio in the Greek Peloponnese. The whole operation could have escaped unpunished, fortunately

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: August 28, 2017 - 15:10

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 15:33

Greek media are reporting the arrest of six local divers who are accused of illegally searching for and extracting artefacts from an ancient Roman shipwreck. The men were arrested on 22 August by the coast guard on the coast of Mani, near Gytheio in the Greek Peloponnese.

The whole operation could have escaped unpunished, fortunately the coastguard was informed by an eyewitness who noticed the suspicious activity. Upon arrival at the location indicated by the informant, officers encountered six men in a car. A search of the vehicle revealed diving equipment and artefacts excavated from the bottom.

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The items looted from the wreck were sent back to the Underwater Antiquities Ephorate to determine their value. The diving equipment, in turn, was confiscated, while all six of the detained Greeks, were charged with violating the law on the protection of historical and cultural heritage.

As you can see stealing wrecks from antique objects is not only a problem occurring in our backyard. Fortunately, not every attempt is successful. This time, archaeological artefacts were saved thanks to the civic attitude of one of the local residents.

Source: archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.