The Harbour of Torone and its disappearance

It was usually assumed that the harbom of Torone lay in the customarily still waters directly to the nor-north-east of the so-called Lecythus, the Australian Expedition's Promontory 1, since the small bay to the south-west of the Lecythus, although it has the advantage of lying totally within the classical walls, was exposed to destructive southerlies. (It was no safe anchorage.) In 1990, Drs Lea Beness and Tom Hillard from the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University asked permission of the Expedition to visit that area to the north of the 'Lecythus', even today used as a calm anchorage in the lee of the old citadel. Within fifteen minutes in the water, a snorkelling inspection brought to light unexpected findings: as ashlar masonry lying in situ approximately forty metres off shore. Hillard applied for a concession to explore more thoroughly this area through the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, and was invited by Professor Alexander Cambitoglou to pursue this work under the auspices of the Australian Expedition.