A shipwreck discovered off the coast of Turkey may be the oldest known in the world, dating to around 2700–2400 BCE, according to a research team studying the site. The find could transform understanding of early Mediterranean trade networks during the Early Bronze Age.
The shipwreck was found in shallow waters off Kekova, west of Antalya, by Associate Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University. Earlier this year, a specialist in desert archaeology was asked to help date pottery vessels recovered from the site. The team estimates the ship and its cargo date to about 4,500 years ago, making it potentially older than the previously oldest known wreck off Dokos, Greece, dated to around 4,200 years ago.
Little remains of the ship itself, but its cargo of large ceramic storage vessels, or amphorae, has survived. The pottery includes ovoid, flat-based jars with handles, some featuring a raised horizontal clay belt. The shape and manufacturing technique help date the cargo. The team believes some of the jars may have originated in the Central Jordan Valley. Residues visible inside the jars may indicate products such as olive oil, wine or tree resin.
The discovery sheds light on early trade networks in the eastern Mediterranean during the Early Bronze Age, a period when Egyptian texts document trade through the port of Byblos. The research is still preliminary, and a peer-reviewed paper has not yet been published.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- If confirmed, the wreck would be the oldest known shipwreck, pushing back the record by about 300 years.
- It provides a rare time capsule of maritime trade during the Early Bronze Age, a period with limited archaeological evidence.
- The find could help trace the origins of long-distance trade routes that connected the eastern Mediterranean.
Background
The eastern Mediterranean was a hub of early maritime trade, with Egyptian records from the third millennium BCE mentioning commodities such as cedar, oils and silver. The previous oldest known shipwreck was off Dokos, Greece, dated to about 4,200 years ago. The Kekova coast in southern Turkey is known for many ancient wrecks, but this one has the potential to be the earliest.
What to Watch
- Peer-reviewed publication of the team's findings and precise dating.
- Scientific analysis of residues in the pottery jars to identify their contents.
- Further underwater surveys along the Turkish coast that may reveal more ancient wrecks.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
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- Partly supportedThe world’s oldest shipwreck was discovered off Turkey, archaeologists say.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Archaeologists may have just found the world's oldest shipwreck.”
- SupportedThe wreck may be 4,500 years old and could rewrite the history of ancient Mediterranean trade.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “A 4,500-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkey could rewrite the history of ancient Mediterranean trade”
- SupportedThe wreck may be the world’s oldest known, dating to around 2700–2400 BCE, according to the research team.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “a research team I was part of has tentatively dated the wreck to around 2700–2400 BCE. That’s about 4,500 years ago.”
- SupportedThe find could transform understanding of early Mediterranean trade networks during the Early Bronze Age.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Yet the discovery could transform our understanding of ancient Mediterranean connections during the Early Bronze Age.”
- SupportedAssociate Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University found the wreck in shallow waters off Kekova, west of Antalya.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Öniz found a shipwreck in shallow waters off Kekova, west of Antalya in Turkey, in 2024.”
- SupportedEarlier this year, a desert-archaeology specialist was asked to help date pottery vessels recovered from the wreck.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Earlier this year, he contacted me and asked if I would help date some of the pottery vessels found on this wreck. As an archaeologist specializing in desert sites”
- SupportedThe wreck may be older than the previously oldest known wreck, off Dokos, Greece, dated to around 4,200 years ago.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Prior to this discovery, the world’s oldest shipwreck was a wreck off the coast of Dokos, in Greece, thought to have been from about 4,200 years ago .”
- SupportedLittle remains of the ship itself, but its cargo of large ceramic storage vessels survived.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “There’s little left of the ship itself but based on clues from its cargo – including pottery vessels”
- SupportedThe pottery includes ovoid, flat-based jars with handles, some with a raised horizontal clay belt.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The pots were large ovoid, flat-based jars with two handles, many featuring a raised horizontal clay “belt” around the widest part of the jar.”
- Partly supportedThe team believes some of the jars may have originated in the Central Jordan Valley.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Our best assessment at this stage of research is that some of the “belted” jars (or clays used to make them) may have originated in the Central Jordan Valley.”
- SupportedResidues inside the jars may indicate olive oil, wine or tree resin.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “scientific analyses are pending, but could be some of the products mentioned in the Egyptian texts, possibly olive oil, wine or tree resin.”
- SupportedThe research is preliminary, and a peer-reviewed paper has not yet been published.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Much work remains to be done to finesse the conclusions, and a paper outlining the results is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.”
