World's oldest shipwreck discovered off Antalya

Around 4,700-year-old amphorae believed to belong to what is described as the world's oldest shipwreck were found near Kekova Island in Antalya. Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy shared details of the underwater excavations being carried out in Kekova in a post on his NSosyal account.

Ersoy said the amphorae recovered from the excavations shed light on the long history of maritime trade along the Anatolian coast. The vessels, thought to have been used to carry olive oil or wine, bear traces of trade and cultural interaction in the Eastern Mediterranean. Clay analyses indicate the amphorae were probably produced in workshops in the Jordan Valley. Similar examples have also been found in Egypt, Troy and Crete.

Among the finds is an amphora with nine different marks and two holes in its body. It is thought it may have been used as a churn to make cheese or butter, suggesting sailors may have produced their own food on long voyages. Ersoy praised Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Öniz, who holds scientific responsibility for the excavations, and thanked everyone who contributed.