Offbeat ·
World's oldest shipwreck found off Turkey
Archaeologists on an expedition led by Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University have announced what they consider the world's oldest shipwreck, off Kekova Island in Antalya, Turkey. They date it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, in the Early Bronze Age, around the time the Great Pyramid was being built.
A time capsule under the sea
The ship's wood did not survive, but on an underwater slope about 30 meters deep lie three large stone anchors and more than 30 amphorae, some still holding traces of their contents. The vessel is estimated to have been a trading ship about 10 meters long that carried cargo across the Mediterranean.
With no wood available for radiocarbon dating, the team estimated its age from the shape of the amphorae, since pottery styles changed over time. Öniz described the site as "a time capsule at the bottom of the sea."
Source: BBC News. Original summary by JosephArnwolf.com.