World’s Oldest Shipwreck Found Off Coast of Turkey
Researchers dated the wreck by pottery style after the ship’s wood vanished, and some amphorae still hold a glossy residue.
- Archaeologists led by Professor Hakan Oniz of Akdeniz University discovered the world's oldest shipwreck off Kekova Island, Turkey, dating back between 4,400 and 4,700 years to the Early Bronze Age.
- With no surviving wood available for radiocarbon dating, researchers established the wreck's age by analyzing the distinctive shape and design of more than 30 ceramic amphorae and three stone anchors scattered across the seabed.
- Dr Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from Macquarie University, examined the recovered pots and discovered thick, glossy residue inside, suggesting the vessel transported olive oil, wine, or tree resins.
- The discovery surpasses the previous record held by a wreck off Dokos, Greece, dating to around 4,200 years ago. Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the artefacts will be displayed at the Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum in Antalya.
- Describing the site as a "time capsule at the bottom of the sea," Oniz noted, "We are the first humans who touched these objects after 5,000 years," connecting researchers to the ancient voyage.
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Artifacts of a ship about 10 meters long were found near Kekova Island, on the coast of Turkey, in which archaeologists believe it is the oldest shipwreck in the world. Although the hull wood has not resisted time, different pieces were found scattered on a submerged slope about 30 meters deep. According to experts, it is possible that the amphora found on the site still store products marketed for more than 4,000 years by the Mediterranean. The…
The Conversation
World’s oldest shipwreck discovered off coast of Turkey
A shipwreck off the coast of Turkey is the oldest shipwreck in the world, our team of archaeologists believes. There’s little left of the ship itself but based on clues from its cargo – including pottery vessels – a research team I was part of has tentatively dated the wreck to around 2700–2400 BCE. That’s about 4,500 years ago. Prior to this discovery, the world’s oldest shipwreck was a wreck off the coast of Dokos, in Greece, thought to have b…
Archaeologists have discovered the wreckage of a ship over 4,700 years old off the coast of Turkey, making it the oldest shipwreck ever found. Numerous jars were also found at the bottom of the sea.
Archaeologists believe that the wreck remains are up to 4,700 years old, returning to the Early Bronze Age.
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