The first Minoan shipyard ever to be found will be presented by researcher Dr. Minas Tsikritsis and geologist Stelios Manolioudis at a Conference on Ancient Greek Technology to be held in Heraklion, Crete on March 21.

Hitherto, information on Minoan seafaring largely relied upon representations on ceramic vessels and frescoes, depicting 50-oar ships, corresponding to vessels of 40 - 50m.

Curved channels on the west

According to Tsikritsis,  recent findings near the Minoan palace of Niros, east of Heraklion, support this hypothesis, as the two large rectangular carvings that were located on the site, appear to be of a Minoan shipyard for vessels up to 40-50 meters long and smaller ones of about 15-25 meters.

The discovery is expected to provide important information on the shipping and craftsmanship of the world’s oldest sea power.