Archaeologists now believe a wreck found in shallow water off Kekova, west of Antalya on Turkey’s southern coast, is the oldest known shipwreck in the world. Based on its cargo of large two-handled “belted” storage jars, the team has tentatively dated it to about 2700–2400 B.C., or roughly 4,500 years ago. The previous record holder was the Dokos wreck off Greece, dated to about 4,200 years ago.
The wreck was found in 2024 by Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University. None of the ship’s timbers survive, but residues are still visible inside some jars, possibly olive oil, wine, or tree resin. The dating is preliminary: the results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Image: Rocky coast of Kekova Island, Turkey, by Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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