Desk. The world's oldest sunken ship has been found off the coast of Türkiye. Archaeologists have estimated the age of this ship to be between 4,400 to 4,700 years, when the Great Pyramid was being built. The biggest surprise is that the wooden structure of the ship did not survive, but the earthen utensils kept in it were found lying at the bottom of the sea and the surprising thing is that some of the utensils still have traces of the things kept in them. Archaeologists who discovered the ship say it was about 10 meters long and was a trading ship carrying goods in the Mediterranean Sea.

Travel by sea was dangerous, especially around Kekova Island, where strong waves and winds have sunk many ships. There are hundreds of shipwrecks in the area, and the Mediterranean Archeology Association specializes in finding and researching them. This sunken ship and the goods loaded in it are also providing information about the trade taking place in the ancient world. Archaeologists say that this ship started its journey from somewhere near the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They believe the ship was carrying goods either for the ancient city of Troy or for the Minoan people living in Crete.

The shipwreck lies near the shore of Kekova Island in Antalya, Türkiye. Its contents are scattered on an underwater slope, just 30 meters below the waves. Three large stone anchors and more than 30 earthen vessels (called 'amphorae') have been found there. Archaeologists say, “This sunken ship is like a time capsule at the bottom of the sea.”

Since no part of the ship's wood survived, its age could not be determined using techniques such as radiocarbon dating. Radiocarbon dating measures a form of carbon in organic matter. Instead, archaeologists analyzed the shapes of amphorae (earthen pots). Because the methods of making pottery have changed over time, different types of pottery are associated with different periods.

Kekova pottery is unique – it has two handles, a bulge in the middle and a flat bottom. The design matches amphorae found in Egypt and the Middle East, which are known to be 4,400 to 4,700 years old. Comparing the methods of decoration shows that this sunken ship belongs to the Early Bronze Age.

The expedition's divers brought those pots to the surface; After thousands of years under water they are now being carefully preserved. After these amphorae (large clay jars) were found, they were examined. Some of the jars were intact and he was surprised to find that there was still a thick, shiny residue left in them. The visible remains were not just stains and spots, there was a lot of stuff left in it.

Now efforts are being made to find out what was actually being carried in these amphorae. That being said, it could be olive oil, wine, or tree resin. Or it may be possible that the remains are actually the result of reusing the jar. I mean, these jars are huge – these aren't things that can just be shipped somewhere and never seen again. People would empty these jars upon arrival and probably use them for many years.

We are the first humans to touch these things in 5,000 years. We always think about the sailors… the men who made the amphorae and carried them on their shoulders to the ship, and the women who waited for their husbands, but unfortunately they never returned.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture has authority over this shipwreck. The objects recovered will be displayed in the new Mediterranean Underwater Archeology Museum being built in Antalya when it opens in the coming months, the ministry's minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, said. The discovery in Kekova now tops the list of the world's oldest sunken ships. Previously, the record was held by a shipwreck found off the coast of Dokos, an island in southern Greece, which is approximately 4,200 years old. The oldest known sunken ship, with some of its wood still intact, was found in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria. It is approximately 2,400 years old.