While the pyramids were rising in ancient Egypt, a small trading vessel disappeared beneath the sea, taking its valuable cargo with it and leaving the wreck hidden for thousands of years.
That remarkable chapter of maritime history has now resurfaced after archaeologists identified what may be the oldest known shipwreck in the world off the Turkish coast, dating back around 4,700 years.
The wreck was located close to Kekova Island in Antalya. Researchers believe it sank sometime between 2600 BC and 2400 BC, during the same broad period in which the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed.
The wooden hull has disappeared over the centuries, but divers found the ship’s surviving cargo almost 100ft (30m) underwater, including ancient storage vessels and heavy stone anchors.
If confirmed, the discovery would push maritime history further back than the Dokos wreck in Greece, which has until now been considered the world’s oldest known shipwreck.
The archaeological team estimates that the vessel measured roughly 32ft (10m) and served as a merchant ship transporting goods across the Mediterranean.
Professor Hakan Oniz of Turkey’s Akdeniz University, who led the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition, described the find as “a time capsule at the bottom of the sea.”
Though the ship’s timber frame has decayed, divers recovered ancient storage pots and stone anchors from the seabed nearly 100ft (30m) beneath the surface.
The team documented more than 30 ceramic vessels, known as amphorae, as well as three stone anchors.
The newly identified wreck rests in a section of the Mediterranean rich in shipwrecks from many eras, including the Roman period.
Archaeologists recorded more than 30 amphorae at the site, alongside three anchors carved from stone.
The evidence points to a commercial voyage, with the ship likely carrying commodities such as olive oil and wine through the eastern Mediterranean.
Clay analysis indicates that the amphorae were likely made in workshops in the Jordan Valley and later loaded onto the ship for transport by sea.
Comparable pottery has been discovered around Egypt’s pyramids at Giza, Saqqara and Abusir, along with finds at Troy and Crete. Together, these discoveries reveal the reach of Bronze Age trading routes.
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Researchers suggest the vessel may have left a port along the Levantine coast and headed west toward Troy or Crete before sinking.
Writing in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, the researchers said the available evidence indicates that the wreck belonged to “a small vessel that sank while sailing east to west during the Early Bronze Age.”
Clay studies indicate that the amphorae were probably manufactured in Jordan Valley workshops before being carried across the sea.
The vessel may have set out from the Levantine coast, travelling west toward Troy or Crete when it met its fate.
The ship is thought to have been a merchant vessel transporting products including olive oil or wine around the eastern Mediterranean.
Calling the wreck a “time capsule at the bottom of the sea,” experts said the discovery may also offer clues about how sailors prepared food and sustained themselves during long voyages.
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Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, hailed the find as evidence of the world’s oldest shipwreck and said it sheds new light on Anatolia’s maritime past.
‘We are bringing to light the traces of the world’s oldest shipwreck,’ he said.
‘Clay analyses indicate that the amphorae were probably produced in workshops in the Jordan Valley.
‘The discovery of similar examples in Egypt, Troy and Crete is of great importance for understanding the trade networks that connected different regions by sea.’
He added: ‘Among the finds, one amphora stands out, featuring nine different markings and two holes in its body.
‘Thought to have possibly been used as a churn in cheese or butter production, this vessel offers clues that sailors may have produced their own food during long voyages.’
