Archaeologists Make Mind-Blowing 4,000-Year-Old Discovery

Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest shipwreck off Turkey’s coast, the BBC reports. The wreck dates back to the Early Bronze Age, around 4,400 to 4,700 years ago. Although the vessel’s wooden structure did not survive, archaeologists recovered large stone anchors and ceramic storage pots, called amphorae, which they used to date the ruin. They believe the ship was carrying goods to either Crete or the ancient city of Troy when it capsized near Turkey’s Kekova Island. “The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea,” expedition leader Hakan Öniz told the BBC. “We are the first humans who [have] touched these objects after 5,000 years.” A 4,200-year-old wreck off the coast of Dokos, an island in southern Greece, previously held the record for the world’s oldest shipwreck.

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Archaeologists Make Mind-Blowing 4,000-Year-Old Discovery