A research team has identified a shipwreck off the coast of Kekova, Turkey, dating back to approximately 2700–2400 B.C.
Key facts
- •The shipwreck is estimated to be between 4,500 and 4,700 years old.
- •The site was discovered in shallow waters off the coast of Kekova, Turkey, in 2024.
- •Divers spent four months extracting pottery vessels from the seabed.
- •The findings are currently undergoing further study, with a formal paper pending peer review.
- •The ship likely crashed against rocks while seeking shelter from a storm between two islands.
Archaeologists have identified what they believe is the world's oldest shipwreck in shallow waters off the coast of Kekova, Turkey. Discovered in 2024 by Associate Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, the wreck has been tentatively dated to between 2700 and 2400 B.C. While the ship's timber has long since disappeared, researchers recovered a cargo of ceramic storage vessels that provide evidence of early maritime trade networks in the eastern Mediterranean.
By the numbers
Dating and Discovery
The shipwreck was located in 2024 following reports from local seafarers. Although the ship itself is no longer visible due to underwater exposure, the research team used the manufacturing techniques and shapes of recovered pottery to estimate the age of the cargo. The findings suggest the vessel dates to the Early Bronze Age, potentially predating the previous record-holder, a wreck found off the coast of Dokos, Greece, by several hundred years.
Insights into Ancient Trade
The recovered cargo consists of large, ovoid ceramic jars, some of which feature a raised horizontal clay 'belt.' Researchers believe these vessels may have originated in the Central Jordan Valley and were used to transport commodities such as olive oil, wine, or tree resin. The discovery offers a rare glimpse into maritime exchange during the third millennium B.C., a period when ancient Egyptian states were known to trade for materials like silver and cedar across the eastern Mediterranean.
Timeline
- 2700–2400 B.C.The period to which the ship and its cargo are tentatively dated.
- 2024Hakan Öniz discovers the shipwreck off the coast of Kekova.
- Past four monthsDivers work to extract pottery remains from the rocky underwater slope.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Phys.org.
