Archaeologists report oldest known shipwreck off Turkey’s Kekova Island
Pottery suggests the remains off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast are 4,400 to 4,700 years old, though no wooden hull survives for direct dating.
Archaeologists have reported a shipwreck near Kekova Island off Antalya, Turkey, that they estimate is 4,400 to 4,700 years old. The Early Bronze Age estimate would make it older than the previously recognized oldest shipwreck, off Greece’s Dokos island, according to the BBC.
How archaeologists estimated the Kekova wreck’s age
The BBC reports that researchers dated the wreck by comparing the shape and decoration of its pottery. No wooden hull survived for radiocarbon dating, so the age remains an estimate based on the ceramics.
The artefacts lie about 30 metres underwater. More than 30 ceramic storage pots and three stone anchors remain, and recovered artefacts are being conserved, according to Euronews and the BBC.
Sources and context
- Video. World’s oldest shipwreck discovered off Turkey’s Mediterranean coastEuronews
- World's oldest shipwreck found off Kekova Island in TurkeyBBC News
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