The world’s oldest known shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey.
Archaeologists have been left stunned after finding the wreck, which dates back between 4,400 and 4,700 years, placing it in the Early Bronze Age – around the same time the Great Pyramid of Giza was being built.
Although the wooden hull has disappeared, ancient storage pots on the wreck have been found containing mysterious traces of their original contents.
Researchers believe that the vessel, which was found on the seabed near Kekova Island off Antalya in southern Turkey, was around 10 metres long and used to transport goods across the Mediterranean.
‘The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea,’ said Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, who led the expedition by the Mediterranean Archaeology Association.
The wreck lies around 30 metres beneath the surface, with artefacts scattered across an underwater slope.
Among the discoveries were three large stone anchors and more than 30 ceramic storage pots, known as amphorae.
With no surviving wood available for radiocarbon dating, researchers established the wreck’s age by studying the distinctive shape and design of the pottery.
The pots feature two handles, a ridge around the middle and a flat base. Their design matches similar vessels discovered in Egypt and the Middle East that date back between 4,400 and 4,700 years.
‘Comparing the decoration techniques … we can definitely say our wreck is Early Bronze Age. This is 100%,’ Professor Öniz said.
Divers brought the pots to the surface, where experts are now carefully conserving them after thousands of years underwater.
But one discovery has left researchers particularly astonished: some of the vessels still contain a thick, glossy residue.
Dr Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from Macquarie University in Australia, examined the pots after they were recovered.
‘I looked inside and nearly fainted. I could not believe how much [residue] was visible,’ she said.
‘It wasn’t just like spots … a lot of this material was still remaining.’
Scientists are now trying to establish what the residue is, with olive oil, wine and tree resins among the possibilities.
However, Dr Sowada warned that the contents might not be what was originally transported.
The pots could have been emptied and reused over many years, meaning the residue might have come from a later use.
‘These jars are huge – they’re not things that you just ship away and then never see again,’ she said.
‘People would have emptied these jars on arrival and potentially used them for many, many, many years.’
The discovery could also offer a rare glimpse into trading networks during the Early Bronze Age.
Researchers believe the ship began its journey somewhere along the eastern Mediterranean coast and may have been heading towards the ancient city of Troy, in what is now north-western Turkey, or the Minoan civilisation on Crete.
Sailing around Kekova Island was dangerous, with powerful currents and winds responsible for numerous shipwrecks over the centuries. Hundreds of wrecks have been found in the surrounding area.
For Professor Öniz, the discovery is also a chance to connect with the people behind the ancient voyage.
‘We are the first humans who [have] touched these objects after 5,000 years,’ he said.
He added that he often thinks about the sailors, the people who made the pots and those who carried them aboard – as well as the families who may have waited in vain for the crew to return.
The find overtakes a wreck off the Greek island of Dokos, previously considered the world’s oldest known shipwreck, which dates back around 4,200 years.
It is different from the oldest known shipwreck with some of its wooden structure still preserved, found in the Black Sea off Bulgaria. That vessel dates back around 2,400 years.