World's oldest shipwreck, which likely existed when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, has just been found off the coast of Turkey

An ancient shipwreck, believed to be the oldest in the world, has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, according to a team of archaeologists. The wooden structure of the ship has not survived, but the ceramic storage pots that it was carrying were found lying on the sea bed, with some still containing traces of what they once held inside.

How old is the wreck?

The archaeologists said the wreck is between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, meaning that it existed around the same time when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.


The archaeologists who discovered the wreck said the ship was 10m in length, adding that it was used as a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. The wreck was found close to the shore of the Kekova Island in Antalya city of Turkey. The team also discovered three large stone anchors, as well as over 30 ceramic storage pots, also called amphorae.

'Time capsule at the sea bottom'

"The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea," said Prof Hakan Öniz, associate professor at the Akdeniz University in Antalya, who led the expedition.

Since none of the ship's wood remained, techniques like radiocarbon dating -- which measures a form of carbon in organic materials -- could not be applied to ascertain its age. The researchers instead analyzed the shape of the amphorae: Pottery styles have changed over time and different styles are associated with certain periods.

The discovered ceramics are distinctive, with two handles, a ridge in the middle, and a flat base. Öniz said the design matched other amphorae found in Egypt and the Middle East, known to be 4,400 to 4,700 years old. "Comparing the decoration techniques... we can definitely say our wreck is Early Bronze Age. This is 100%," the professor said, according to the BBC.

Divers involved in the expedition recovered the pots, which are now being carefully preserved and studied after remaining under water for thousands of years.

Dr. Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from the Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, examined the amphorae after their recovery. "I looked inside and nearly fainted. I could not believe how much [residue] was visible. It wasn't just like spots... a lot of this material was still remaining," she said, as per the BBC.

What was the ship carrying?

The team is now trying to figure out what was being carried in the ceramic pots. "It could be olive oil, it could be wine, it could be tree resins," Sowada said.

The wreck also offers clues about trade in the ancient times. The archaeologists believe that the ship began its journey from somewhere along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, adding that it was transporting goods to either the ancient city of Troy or to the Minoan people in Crete.

'First to touch these objects in 5000 years'

Traveling by sea came with huge dangers, particularly around Kekova Island, where strong currents and winds have taken many lives. There are as many as hundreds of wrecks in the area.

"We are the first humans who [have] touched these objects after 5,000 years," Öniz said. "We are always thinking of the sailors... the producers of the amphora and the person who carried the amphora on their shoulders to the ship, and the women who were waiting for their husbands, and they unfortunately couldn't go back."

Previously known oldest shipwreck

The shipwreck belong to the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the head of the ministry, said the artefacts would be displayed in the new Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum in Antalya city, when it opens in the coming months.

The Kekova discovery now ranks as the world's oldest known shipwreck. Previously, the record was held by a wreck that had been found off the coast of Dokos, an island in southern Greece, believed to be some 4,200 years old. But the oldest known intact shipwreck, with the vessel's wood preserved, was found in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. It dates to around 2,400 years ago.