World’s Oldest Known Shipwreck Found Off Turkey Is Up To 4,700 Years Old And Is As Old As The Great Pyramid

An ancient shipwreck dating back to about 4,400 to 4,700 years ago has been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea off the Turkish coast.

Experts claim it to be possibly the oldest shipwreck ever known in the world. It was carrying more than 30 ceramic storage jars, and some still contain traces of material that may help researchers identify what was inside them.

The wreck lies about 30 metres underwater near Kekova Island in Antalya, Turkey. The wooden part of the ship has disappeared, but divers found three large stone anchors and more than 30 ceramic jars called amphorae.

Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University led the expedition with the Mediterranean Archaeology Association. The team believes the ship was about 10 metres long and carried goods across the Mediterranean Sea.

Radiocarbon dating was not possible for the researchers since there is no wood left from the ship. However, a comparison with similar pieces of pottery in Egypt and the Middle East was used.

The ceramic jars had two handles, ridges, and flattened bases. The shapes of these jars and their decorations resemble those of pottery from the Early Bronze Age. On this basis, researchers conclude that the age of the shipwreck is estimated at 4,400-4,700 years.

“Comparing the decoration techniques… we can definitely say our wreck is Early Bronze Age. This is 100%,” Önal added. It is older than the wreck discovered near Dokos, an island in southern Greece, dating to 4,200 years ago.

The earliest existing shipwreck with its wooden structure preserved is believed to be in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria and is dated at about 2,400 years ago.

The divers raised the jars, and now they are being well preserved. Some of the jars are filled with a shining and thick substance.

Dr. Karin Sowada, an archaeologist at Macquarie University, Australia, studied the jars, and she was amazed by the amount of substance found in them.

Scientists are analysing the substance to determine the contents that were in the jars. The substance could be olive oil, wine, or tree resin, Sowada stated.

However, she said the material might not be from the ship’s original cargo. People may have emptied the jars and used them again before the ship sank.

The team believes the ship began its journey somewhere along the eastern Mediterranean coast. It may have been carrying goods to Troy, in what is now northwestern Turkey, or to the Minoan people of Crete. Researchers have not confirmed its destination.

The wreckage gives proof that such ships with cargo travelled across the Mediterranean in the Early Bronze Age.
The waters around Kekova Island have strong currents and winds, and many ships have sunk in the area. Hundreds of wrecks have been found there. The Mediterranean Archaeology Association searches for these wrecks and studies them.

Öniz said he often thinks about the people who were connected to the ship, including the sailors, the people who made the jars and those who carried them aboard.

The wreck belongs to Turkey’s Ministry of Culture. The recovered objects are expected to go on display at the new Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum in Antalya when it opens.

Researchers are still testing the material found inside the jars. They have not yet confirmed what it is or where the ship was heading when it sank.

References: BBC, suaragarut