4,500-Year-Old Shipwreck Off Turkey May Be World's Oldest
Off the south-western coast of Turkey, archaeologists have discovered a possible shipwreck from the Bronze Age, estimated to be around 4,500 years old, near Kekova. Hakan Öniz from Akdeniz University leads the excavation, which has unearthed approximately 30 ceramic amphorae at depths ranging from 25 to 40 metres, some still holding remnants of their original cargo. These jars resemble pottery from the Jordan Valley, suggesting a trade network involving the Levant, Egypt, and the Aegean. The wooden ship, estimated to be 10 metres in length, has deteriorated due to Teredo navalis. Preliminary findings, released in July, suggest the wreck dates back to 2700–2400 BCE, predating a 4,200-year-old ship discovered in 1975. Turkey's culture minister emphasized the amphorae's importance for insights into ancient trade.
Key facts
- About 30 ceramic storage jars, or amphorae, were found near the small island of Kekova off Turkey's south-west coast.
- The vessel is believed to have sunk some 4,500 years ago, during the Bronze Age.
- The jars lay on a slope in clear waters at depths of between 25 and 40 metres.
- The jars' shape and clay are characteristic of Early Bronze Age pottery from the Jordan Valley.
- The wooden ship, possibly 10 metres long, has disappeared, likely eaten by the wood-boring mollusc Teredo navalis.
- Preliminary finds published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology in July date the site to around 2700–2400 BCE.
- The current oldest known shipwreck, found in 1975 off the Greek island of Dokos, is believed to be 4,200 years old.
- Researchers are using X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction to analyse the pottery's material and contents.
Entities
Artists
- Hakan Öniz
- Karin Sowada
- Mehmet Nuri Ersoy
- Mehmet Ersoy
Institutions
- Akdeniz University
- Mediterranean Archaeology Association
- Macquarie University
- The Art Newspaper
- Journal of Maritime Archaeology
- Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism
- BBC
- CBS News
- People
- Euronews
- Smithsonian magazine
Locations
- Turkey
- Kekova
- Jordan Valley
- Levant
- Egypt
- Aegean Sea
- Dokos
- Greece
- Anatolia
- Troy
- Minoan Crete
- Australia
- Kekova Island
- Middle East
- Jordan
- Israel
- West Bank
- Crete