Marine archaeologists using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have identified a submerged industrial complex off the Greek island of Karpathos. The site, dating back 3,500 years, appears to be a major foundry specializing in the processing of Cypriot copper for the Minoan and Mycenaean markets during the height of the Bronze Age.
The team successfully mapped several stone workshops and stone-built jetties now located six meters beneath the surface. The presence of numerous stone molds and slag heaps suggests that this location was a pivotal manufacturing hub in the Aegean maritime trade network before it was reclaimed by rising sea levels.