The world’s oldest known shipwreck may have been discovered near Kekova Island in southern Turkey, offering a rare glimpse into ancient Mediterranean trade. Archaeologists estimate the Early Bronze Age vessel is between 4,400 and 4,700 years old. The discovery could reshape understanding of early seafaring and trade networks that connected ancient communities. The wreck lies about 30 metres beneath the Mediterranean Sea in Antalya province.
Researchers from Turkey’s Mediterranean Archaeology Association documented the site under the leadership of Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University. They believe the vessel measured around 10 metres long and carried goods between ancient trading centres. Although its wooden structure has disappeared, more than 30 large ceramic storage vessels remain scattered across the seabed. Archaeologists also recovered three stone anchors, including two with three holes and another with a single hole.
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Researchers dated the wreck to between 2600 and 2400 BC by examining the pottery found at the site. Its ceramic vessels feature two handles, a central ridge and flat bases, resembling pottery discovered at other Early Bronze Age settlements. Scientists could not use radiocarbon dating because none of the ship’s wooden structure survived. Instead, they compared the vessels’ shapes and decorative patterns with artefacts found across Egypt and the Middle East.
The discovery could challenge the record held by the Dokos shipwreck in the Aegean Sea, which dates to around 2200 BC. Discovered in 1975, the Dokos wreck is more than 4,200 years old. If researchers confirm the Turkish vessel’s estimated age, it would be several centuries older. Öniz described the discovery as a time capsule preserved beneath the sea.
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The cargo may also reveal how merchants moved goods across the eastern Mediterranean thousands of years ago. Researchers believe the vessel may have travelled from the eastern Mediterranean coast towards Troy in north-western Turkey or Crete, home of the Minoan civilisation. Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the clay analysis suggests some vessels may have originated in workshops in the Jordan Valley. Similar pottery found near Egypt’s pyramids, Troy and Crete could help researchers trace ancient commercial connections.
Some containers appear designed to transport agricultural products such as wine and olive oil, while others raise new questions about food production. Archaeologists are examining one vessel bearing nine symbols and two holes to determine whether people used it to produce or store cheese or butter. Researchers also recorded decorative details, including parallel lines and zigzag patterns on the pottery. These findings could provide further clues about the vessel’s cargo, its origins and the trading communities that operated during the Early Bronze Age.