Archaeologists unearth world’s oldest known shipwreck off Kekova Island

Archaeologists have unearthed what they describe as the world’s oldest known shipwreck, discovering a collection of ancient ceramic storage jars in the shallow waters off Kekova Island in the southern Antalya province of Turkiye. The vessel, which dates back to the Early Bronze Age, provides concrete physical evidence of maritime trade and cultural exchange across the eastern Mediterranean during the era when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

The wooden hull of the boat did not survive the millennia on the seabed. However, researchers recovered ceramic storage jars, known as amphorae, along with three large stone anchors scattered across an underwater slope roughly 30 meters beneath the waves. Karin Sowada from Macquarie University said that divers used hammers and chisels to extricate the heavily barnacled pottery from the rocky seabed.

Discovering the Kekova Island Wreck

Hakan Öniz, an associate professor at Akdeniz University, located the wreck in shallow coastal waters. When Öniz and his team first surveyed the site four years ago, they initially thought the pottery fragments belonged to a much later period, but later recognized matching amphora forms in publications on Egyptian archaeology. Formal underwater excavations directed by Öniz launched earlier this year under permits from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Because the ship’s wood decomposed long ago, radiocarbon dating could not be used to determine the age of the site. Instead, researchers analyzed the shape, clay composition, and manufacturing techniques of the amphorae. Clay analysis indicated that the containers originated in workshops in the Jordan Valley, matching styles previously found in Egypt, Greece, and Turkiye that illustrate extensive Bronze Age sea routes. One unique vessel featured nine distinct marks and two holes in its body, leading researchers to suggest it may have functioned as a churning amphora for producing butter or cheese during long voyages.

Tracing the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Route

The trading vessel was likely sailing from the Levantine coast towards modern-day Hisarlik in Turkiye, home to the ancient city of Troy, or toward the island of Crete in Greece. Researchers believe the ship ran into a storm and crashed against the rocks while seeking refuge in the lee waters off the southern Turkish coast. The discovery tops the list of the world’s oldest shipwrecks, with the previous record holder being a wreck off the coast of Dokos island in Greece that dates back approximately 4,200 years.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the findings, stating that the project sheds light on the deep-rooted history of maritime trade along the Anatolian coasts. Ersoy confirmed the recovered artifacts will be put on public display at the new Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum in Antalya when it opens in the coming months.

When we recognised that this shipwreck was the earliest one, it was amazing.

Hakan Öniz