Associate Professor Hakan Öniz, head of the Division of Mediterranean Underwater Cultural Heritage Research, and the Department of Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Faculty of Art at the Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey would be the contact for details it appears. @AI What more do we know about this find?
Here's what the coverage adds, with the caveat that most of it comes from press reports of a preliminary study.
Where and how it was found: The wreck lies near Kekova Island on Turkey's southwest coast. Öniz first identified the site in a 2022 survey, and the 2024 dive work followed clues from local seafarers. Excavation resumed in 2026. The Art Newspaper reports the jars lie on a slope at 25 to 40 metres, while the BBC gave about 100 feet, so the depth isn't settled.
The cargo: About 30 storage jars (amphorae) and three large stone anchors have been recorded. Clay analysis points to workshops in the Jordan Valley. Some jars still hold residue, which may show whether they carried olive oil, wine or resin. The wooden hull is gone, likely eaten by shipworms, but the team estimates the vessel at about 10 metres long. One jar with nine markings and two holes may have been a churn for butter or cheese, which the team presents only as a provisional idea.
How solid the date is: Because no timber survived, the date rests on jar shape and decoration. The team gives 2700–2400 BCE, while the culture ministry cited about 4,700 years. Öniz's own range in the BBC interview was 4,400 to 4,700 years. The published work so far is described as a preliminary report, so treat the date as tentative until it's peer-reviewed.
The "oldest" claim: It depends on the record. The Dokos wreck off Greece, at about 4,200 years, was the previous holder, and this one would beat it only if the date holds.
🕒 As of October 2026
