Archaeologists have discovered an ancient shipwreck off Turkey’s southern coast that could be the world’s oldest, with its cargo offering new clues about maritime trade nearly 5,000 years ago.
The vessel is believed to have sunk between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago during the Early Bronze Age, around the time ancient Egyptians were building the Pyramids of Giza.
Its remains were found about 100ft beneath the Mediterranean Sea near Kekova Island. Although the wooden hull has long since disappeared, ceramic storage vessels and stone anchors have survived on the seabed.
Experts believe the 32ft ship was transporting valuable goods across the Mediterranean when it sank, potentially along trade routes connecting ancient Egypt, Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean.
Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, who led the expedition, described the discovery as a remarkable window into the past.
“The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea,” he said.
Archaeologists have recovered ancient amphorae, large ceramic containers believed to have been used to transport goods such as olive oil or wine. Analysis of the clay suggests the vessels were manufactured in workshops in the Jordan Valley, hundreds of miles from the wreck site.
Similar containers have been found near Egypt’s Giza, Saqqara and Abusir sites, as well as in Troy and Crete. The similarities could help researchers better understand the extensive trading networks that connected ancient civilisations thousands of years ago.
Researchers suspect the vessel may have departed from a port along the Levantine coast before heading towards Troy or Crete.
One particularly unusual find has also raised questions about how sailors lived during lengthy voyages. Among the wreckage was an amphora bearing nine distinct markings and two holes in its body.
Experts believe the unusual container may have been used to churn milk into cheese or butter. If the theory is confirmed, it could suggest that ancient sailors carried live goats aboard their ships and milked them during journeys to produce fresh dairy products.
The discovery could therefore reveal not only what ancient civilisations traded, but also how seafarers obtained food and managed life at sea.
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism described the find as a major breakthrough in understanding the region’s maritime history.
“We are bringing to light traces of the world’s oldest shipwreck within the ‘Blue Homeland’,” the ministry said.
It added that amphorae dating back around 4,700 years, recovered during underwater excavations near Kekova, were shedding light on the long history of maritime trade along the Anatolian coast.
The discovery follows years of underwater archaeological research by Akdeniz University in the area. Earlier investigations suggested the wreck dated to the Early Bronze Age, but excavations only began in 2026 after approval from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The operation is being led by the Antalya Museum Directorate under the scientific supervision of Professor Öniz.
Researchers have dated the recovered amphorae to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, providing fresh evidence of the sea routes that linked ancient civilisations across the Mediterranean.
