Archaeologists may have just found the world's oldest shipwreck
Archaeologists have discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Turkey that may date back to 2700-2400 BCE. If confirmed, this would be the oldest shipwreck ever found, potentially reshaping our understanding of ancient Mediterranean trade routes.
Why it matters
This discovery provides a rare physical link to Early Bronze Age maritime commerce and the evolution of ancient trade networks.
A shipwreck off the coast of Turkey is the oldest shipwreck in the world, our team of archaeologists believes.
There's little left of the ship itself but based on clues from its cargo - including pottery vessels - a research team I was part of has tentatively dated the wreck to around 2700 - 2400 BCE.
That's about 4,500 years ago. Prior to this discovery, the world's oldest shipwreck was a wreck off the coast of Dokos, in Greece, thought to have been from about 4,200 years ago .
Much work remains to be done to finesse the conclusions, and a paper outlining the results is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Yet the discovery could transform our understanding of ancient Mediterranean connections during the Early Bronze Age.
Here, and perhaps even earlier, lie the foundations of extensive trade routes as we know them today.
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