Ancient shipwreck discovered off Turkey may be world’s oldest

Archaeologists excavating near Kekova Island off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast have identified a shipwreck they believe dates back between 4,400 and 4,700 years, potentially making it the oldest known wreck.

The site lies about 30 metres beneath the surface off Antalya. More than 30 ceramic storage jars and three stone anchors have been found nearby, although researchers have not conclusively linked the anchors to the vessel. No wooden structure survived, preventing radiocarbon dating, so the estimated age is based largely on comparisons between the pottery and objects from other archaeological sites.

The approximately 10-metre vessel is thought to have carried goods across the eastern Mediterranean during the Early Bronze Age. Clay analysis indicates that some jars were probably made in Jordan Valley workshops, while similar vessels have been found in Egypt, Troy and Crete. Researchers believe the ship may have been travelling west from the Levantine coast toward Troy or Crete when it sank.

Some intact jars contain a glossy residue now being analysed to determine whether they carried olive oil, wine, tree resin or other products. One unusually designed vessel has markings and two holes that researchers say may indicate it was used to make butter or cheese.

The wreck was documented during underwater survey work led by Akdeniz University, with excavation continuing under the Antalya Museum Directorate. Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the findings Wednesday. The previously recognized oldest wreck, near the Greek island of Dokos, has ceramic cargo dated to about 2200BC.