2,100-Year-Old Ceramic Cargo Recovered from Shipwreck Off Turkey's Southern Coast
Over two thousand years ago, a vessel filled with exquisite tableware sank in the Mediterranean after departing from what is now Turkey. The wreck was uncovered in 2023 near Adrasan and is currently being excavated by Hakan Öniz from Akdeniz University. Resting at depths of 138 to 180 feet, divers have retrieved thousands of ceramic items, categorized into 122 distinct types, including bowls, plates, and amphorae. Coins from Antioch indicate the ship sank at least 2,000 years ago. The amphorae are believed to have originated from the Aegean Islands, while the majority of the plates and bowls came from Rhosus, present-day Arsuz, Turkey. Researchers suspect the ship was part of a trading route to Rome and sank after striking shoals during a storm. Excavation efforts are ongoing, utilizing underwater robots.
Key facts
- A ship carrying ancient dishware sank off Turkey's southern coast over 2,100 years ago.
- The wreck was discovered in 2023 near Adrasan during an underwater archaeological survey.
- Akdeniz University researchers, led by Hakan Öniz, began excavating the site last year.
- The ship lies between 138 and 180 feet below the Mediterranean's surface.
- Thousands of ceramic artifacts were sorted into 122 different types of dishes, including plates, bowls, trays, and amphorae.
- Coins from Antioch dating to the first century B.C.E. helped date the sinking to at least two millennia ago.
- Most plates and bowls were likely made in the port of Rhosus, now Arsuz, Turkey, known for rhosica vasa pottery.
- The ship likely sank en route to Rome after running aground on hidden shoals during a storm, according to a 2023 paper in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology.
Entities
Artists
- Hakan Öniz
- Emre Okan
- Mehmet Nuri Ersoy
- Cicero
- Atticus
Institutions
- Akdeniz University
- Duzce University
- Journal of Maritime Archaeology
- Anadolu Agency
- Roman Empire
- Byzantine Empire
Locations
- Turkey
- Mediterranean Sea
- Adrasan
- Antioch
- Greece
- Italian Peninsula
- Rome
- Aegean Islands
- Rhosus
- Arsuz
- Anatolia
- Black Sea