Human skeleton discovered at Antikythera shipwreck after more than 2,000 years at the bottom of the sea

  • Human skull, including jaw and teeth, and bone from arms, legs, ribs found
  • This is the first skeleton found at shipwreck during era of DNA analysis
  • Researchers may soon be able to identify ethnicity and origin of the victim 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and CHEYENNE MACDONALD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

Buried beneath sand and the fragments of ancient pottery, researchers have discovered the 2,000-year-old remains of a sailor who died upon the ill-fated 'Antikythera ship.'

Archaeologists have investigated the famous shipwreck off a tiny Greek island for which it's named for over a century, revealing a trove of remarkable artefacts – including the mysterious 'Antikythera Mechanism,' thought to be a 'guide to the galaxy.'

Now, this latest achievement could allow the researchers to conduct an unprecedented DNA analysis of human bones that have survived thousands of years at sea, providing a glimpse at life in the first century BCE.

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Buried beneath sand and the fragments of ancient pottery, researchers have discovered the 2,000-year-old remains of a sailor who died upon the ill-fated 'Antikythera ship.' A partial skull, including three teeth, is pictured

Buried beneath sand and the fragments of ancient pottery, researchers have discovered the 2,000-year-old remains of a sailor who died upon the ill-fated 'Antikythera ship.' A partial skull, including three teeth, is pictured

ANTIKYTHERA SHIPWRECK

Archaeologists say the ship crashed off the Greek island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea around 65 BCE.

It may have been a trading or cargo ship, or a massive grain carrier.

The wreckage was first discovered in 1900 by Greek sponge divers, and is the largest shipwreck ever found.

Excavations over the last century have led to the recovery of more than 300 objects, including the Antikythera Mechanism and the skeletal remains of passengers and crew.

The most recent discovery marks the first time researchers have discovered a human skeleton at a shipwreck site in the era of DNA analysis.

This means they may be able to identify the ethnicity and geographic origin of the victim. 

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Researchers from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found a human skull, including a jaw and teeth, along with bones from the arms, legs, ribs, and other remains on August 31, 2016.

And, they say other parts of the skeleton still lay buried in the sea floor.

The discovery marks the first time researchers have discovered a human skeleton at a shipwreck site in the era of DNA analysis.

'Archaeologists study the human past through the objects our ancestors created,' said Brendan Foley, a marine archaeologist with WHOI.

'With the Antikythera Shipwreck, we can now connect directly with this person who sailed and died aboard the Antikythera ship.'

It's thought that the wreck of the Greek trading or cargo ship occurred around 65 BCE in the Aegean Sea, and despite thousands of years below the surface, many of the bones are still nearly intact.

Researchers from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found a human skull, including a jaw and teeth, along with bones from the arms, legs, ribs, and remains on August 31, 2016

Researchers from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found a human skull, including a jaw and teeth, along with bones from the arms, legs, ribs, and remains on August 31, 2016

The latest discovery could allow the researchers to conduct an unprecedented DNA analysis of human bones that have survived thousands of years at sea, providing a glimpse at life in the first century BCE. A nearly intact skull, including the cranial parietal bones, is pictured above

The latest discovery could allow the researchers to conduct an unprecedented DNA analysis of human bones that have survived thousands of years at sea, providing a glimpse at life in the first century BCE. A nearly intact skull, including the cranial parietal bones, is pictured above

'Against all odds, the bones survived over 2,000 years at the bottom of the sea and they appear to be in fairly good condition, which is incredible,' said Dr. Hannes Schroeder, an ancient DNA expert at the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

Archaeologists also discovered a sounding lead — a roughly bell-shaped lead object weighing 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

Attached to a rope and lowered from a ship, it measured the depth of the sea and also brought up samples of the seabed that gave the ship's master useful information for anchoring.

'This humble instrument was of vital importance for safe seafaring in antiquity,' a culture ministry statement said. 

The discovery marks the first time researchers have discovered a human skeleton at a shipwreck site in the era of DNA analysis. Other parts of the skeleton still lay buried in the sea floor, as seen above

The discovery marks the first time researchers have discovered a human skeleton at a shipwreck site in the era of DNA analysis. Other parts of the skeleton still lay buried in the sea floor, as seen above

A similar device was found in the Antikythera wreck during the first excavation, in 1900-1901.

Samples from the skeleton will be sent to the lab for analysis once permission is granted by the Greek authorities.

According to the researchers, this may even allow them to identify the ethnicity and geographic origin of the victim.

And, precise 3D models for each artefact – including the bones – are now available to both researchers and the public on the Antikythera Project website.

Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk Explorer in Residence, said 'Our reality capture technology is not only helping share the amazing story of the Antikythera wreck with the world using digital models and 3D printed artefacts, it is enabling important preservation and furthering meaningful research.'

The Antikythera Mechanism was named after the southern Greek island off which it was found, in a mid-1st century BC shipwreck, discovered first in 1901 in the Aegean Sea. Location of the shipwreck pictured

The Antikythera Mechanism was named after the southern Greek island off which it was found, in a mid-1st century BC shipwreck, discovered first in 1901 in the Aegean Sea. Location of the shipwreck pictured

THE MYSTERIOUS ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM 

A fragment of the Antikythera Mechanism

A fragment of the Antikythera Mechanism

For a century since its discovery in an ancient shipwreck, the exact function of the mysterious 'Antikythera Mechanism' was impossible to decipher because only tiny parts of its text were understood. 

From a few words deciphered on the twisted, corroded fragments of bronze gears and plates, experts guessed the relic was an astronomical instrument.

But much more remained hidden out of sight.

After more than a decade's efforts using cutting-edge scanning equipment, an international team of scientists has now read about 3,500 characters of explanatory text - a quarter of the original - in the innards of the 2,100-year-old remains.

They say it was a kind of philosopher's guide to the galaxy, and perhaps the world's oldest mechanical computer 

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