World's oldest shipwreck found off Turkey, archaeologists say: "Time capsule at the bottom of the sea"
Archaeologists have discovered a 4,400 to 4,700-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, making it the oldest ever found. The vessel, which dates back to the era of the Giza Pyramids, contains well-preserved ceramic jars that offer new insights into ancient Mediterranean trade.
Why it matters
This discovery provides a rare, tangible link to Bronze Age maritime trade routes and the daily lives of ancient seafarers.
Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, dating it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old.The structure of the ship has not survived the nearly five millennia underwater, but its contents of clay jars have been preserved surprisingly well, with some still containing traces of what they transported over 4,000 years ago.The archaeologists who found the vessel said that it was a nearly 33-foot-long trade ship transporting goods across the Mediterranean Sea and originated somewhere on the eastern Mediterranean coast.The wreck dates back to the same time period as when the Pyramids of Giza were being built, and will "offer insights into ancient trading connections and the everyday lives of seafarers," according to Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy."The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea," Hakan Öniz, an associate professor at Turkey's Akdeniz University who oversaw the expedition…
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