In 1802, Lord Elgin transported a significant portion of the looted Parthenon Marbles on his private ship, the Mentor. When the vessel struck rocks and sank off the coast of Kythira, his team hired expert sponge divers to recover the cargo. Working in primitive conditions, the divers used hammers and saws to break apart the sunken ship’s hull, retrieving all 17 crates of sculptures over two years. The marbles were eventually shipped to London and sold to the British government in 1816.

​Marine archaeologists during the 2025 excavation season recovered a new Parthenon fragment from this 224-year-old wreckage. The discovery is a marble "gutta"—a small, drop-shaped architectural ornament—whose dimensions precisely match the known measurements of the Parthenon's decorative elements.

​Alongside the marble fragment, the excavation team discovered parts of the ship's rigging, everyday pottery, protective copper sheathing, and a ceramic slab from the ship's cooking hearth. Together, these artifacts provide a direct physical link to the ill-fated vessel and the historical removal of the Athenian treasures.