The naval actions of the Persian War rank among the greatest maritime ventures of the ancient world, both in terms of the large scale of the operations and the historical significance of the outcome to Greece in particular, and Western Civilization in general. Under the Achaemenian kings Darius and Xerxes, the Persians sent armadas of warships into the northern and western Aegean in the confident expectation of adding mainland Greece to the ever-growing Persian Empire. It is the goal of the Persian Wars Shipwreck Survey to locate evidence of catastrophes taking place between 492 and 480 BC. When the Persian fleets suffered major losses during storms and in doing so bring to light the biggest reported naval fleet in antiquity. The Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, the Hellenic Centre of Marine Research and the Canadian Archaeological Institute at Athens are cooperating with scholars from various universities and institutions and using the latest technology available to accomplish this goal. Join us on our adventure...
Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M (Persian War Shipwreck Survey - Searching for the Persian Fleets of the 5th century B.C.)