World's oldest shipwreck found off Turkey — a 4,700-year-old trade vessel built when the Great Pyramids WERE RISING
Ceramic amphorae recovered from the seabed off Kekova Island, Turkey, where a 4,400–4,700-year-old shipwreck was found — some still containing traces of their original cargo.Archaeologists excavate the seabed off Kekova Island, Antalya, where three large stone anchors were found scattered across an underwater slope alongside the ancient wreck's ceramics.A diver examines the wreck site off Kekova Island, Antalya — the Early Bronze Age trade ship, roughly 10 metres long, sank in just 30 metres of water.The wreck site off Kekova Island, Antalya — Prof Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, who led the expedition, called it "a time capsule at the bottom of the sea.
Archaeologists have found the world's oldest known shipwreck off Kekova Island in Antalya, southern Turkey. The vessel dates to the Early Bronze Age, between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago. Akdeniz University's Professor Hakan Öniz headed the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition, which recovered more than 30 ceramic amphorae and three stone anchors from the seabed at a depth of just 30 metres. Analysis of the clay suggests the pots originated in the Jordan Valley, indicating the ship was trading between the Levantine coast and either Troy or Crete when it went down.
The timber hull has long since disappeared, yet some amphorae still contain a thick, glossy residue that may be olive oil, wine or tree resin.
Australian archaeologist Dr Karin Sowada said she 'nearly fainted' when she looked inside and saw how much residue remained after nearly five millennia.
The discovery surpasses the previous record-holder — the Dokos shipwreck in the Aegean, dated to around 2,200 BC — by at least two centuries.
