Archaeologists say they have discovered the world’s oldest shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, near Kekova Island in Antalya. They have dated the vessel to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, which places it in the Early Bronze Age, around the same period in which the Great Pyramid was being built.
The ship’s wooden structure did not survive, but the ceramic storage pots it carried are still lying on the sea floor. Some of them still contain traces of what they once held. The archaeologists who found the wreck say the vessel was about 10 metres long and was a trade ship carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. Prof Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, who led the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition, described the wreck as “a time capsule at the bottom of the sea.”
How researchers dated the Kekova shipwreck
The wreck sits on an underwater slope close to the shore of Kekova Island, around 30 metres beneath the waves. Its artefacts are scattered across that slope. Divers recovered three large stone anchors and more than 30 ceramic storage pots, known as amphorae.
Because none of the ship’s wood remained, radiocarbon dating could not be used. That technique measures a form of carbon found in organic materials. Instead, archaeologists studied the shape of the amphorae, since pottery styles changed over time and different styles are linked to particular periods.
The Kekova jars have two handles, a ridge in the middle and a flat base. Öniz said this design matched amphorae found in Egypt and the Middle East that were known to be 4,400 to 4,700 years old. He said that by comparing decoration techniques, the team could be certain the wreck dates to the Early Bronze Age, adding: “This is 100%.”
Residue found inside the ancient storage jars
Divers brought the pots to the surface, where they are now being carefully conserved after thousands of years underwater. Dr Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from Macquarie University in Australia, examined the amphorae after they were recovered. Some were intact, and she found they still contained a viscous, glossy residue.
Sowada said she was astonished by how much material remained. She said it was not just small spots, and that a large amount of the substance was still present inside the jars. The team is now trying to determine exactly what the containers once held. Sowada suggested the possibilities included olive oil, wine or tree resins.
She also raised the possibility that the residue came from the jars being reused. She noted that the jars were large and were not the kind of containers that were shipped away and never seen again. In her view, people may have emptied them on arrival and used them for many years afterwards.
Trade routes and the dangers of sailing Kekova waters
The archaeologists say the ship set out from somewhere along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. They believe it was carrying goods either to the ancient city of Troy, in what is now north-western Turkey, or to the Minoan people on Crete.
Travelling by sea was dangerous, particularly around Kekova Island, where strong currents and winds have claimed many ships. The area contains hundreds of wrecks, and the Mediterranean Archaeology Association specialises in finding and studying them.
When Öniz dives on the wreck, he said, his thoughts turn to the people connected with the vessel. He described the sailors, the potters who made the amphorae, the person who carried a jar onto the ship, and the women who waited for husbands who never came back.
Museum plans and the wreck’s place in the record books
The shipwreck is owned by the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Its minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, said the recovered artefacts would go on display at the new Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum in Antalya when it opens in the coming months.
The depth meant divers could spend only 30 minutes at a time exploring the site. The Kekova discovery now tops the list of the world’s oldest known shipwrecks. The previous record holders and the other wrecks mentioned by the archaeologists are:
- The Kekova wreck off Turkey, dated to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago
- A wreck off Dokos, an island in southern Greece, dated to about 4,200 years ago, which was previously the record holder
- The oldest known intact shipwreck, where the wood is still preserved, found in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria and dated to about 2,400 years ago
