Ancient shipwreck found off Turkey may be the world’s oldest
Discovery of remains of 4,500-year-old ship reveal new evidence about Early Bronze Age trade routes
Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered what may be the world's oldest known shipwreck, off the small island of Kekova in the southwestern part of the country. The discovery, led by Professor Hakan Öniz from Akdeniz University, includes around 30 ceramic storage jars, or amphorae, found near the island. These jars, believed to be from a vessel that sank approximately 4,500 years ago, are thought to belong to an early Bronze Age trade route connecting the Levant, Egypt, and the Aegean Sea.
Some of the jars still contain the remnants of their goods, providing valuable insights into the movement of trade items between these ancient civilizations. The wooden ship, likely around 10 meters long, has since disintegrated, most likely due to the wood-boring mollusc, Teredo navalis. Öniz emphasized that this wreck is the first concrete evidence of maritime trade during that period.
Initial findings, published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, suggest the amphorae date back to around 2700-2400 BCE, making the Kekova wreck older than the previous record holder for the oldest shipwreck, estimated to be 4,200 years old. This discovery sheds light on the rich history of trade and cultural exchange in the eastern Mediterranean.
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