The Kumluca Middle Bronze Age shipwreck, believed to be one of many world’s oldest recognized shipwrecks off Türkiye’s southern coast, has yielded important findings for underwater archaeology.
A workforce of 40 specialists led by professor Hakan Öniz is conducting underwater excavations off the Antalya coast and has lately discovered new relics belonging to the ship and its crew.
Using superior know-how and robots, they’ve recovered 30 copper ingots, amphoras and private belongings of sailors from the ship, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Underwater archaeologists, geared up with air tubes, painstakingly retrieved artifacts from a shipwreck that sank 3,600 years in the past at a depth of roughly 50 meters (164 toes).
Some objects take a month to extract, using small instruments and vacuum units.
The finds, notably the copper ingots representing the foreign money of the time, spotlight Türkiye’s wealthy cultural heritage, together with its position in early historical past, epic tales, maritime commerce and shipbuilding.
“This ship, which was probably loaded with copper from mines in Cyprus island, sank during a storm on its way to the island of Crete,” Öniz instructed AA.
“This happened approximately 3,550 to 3,600 years ago. In this context, the Kumluca Middle Bronze Age shipwreck still holds the title of the world’s oldest trade shipwreck,” Öniz added.
All recovered objects endure a salt removing course of on the Antalya Restoration and Conservation Regional Laboratory. The ongoing work in one of many world’s oldest shipwrecks, at nice depths, underscores Türkiye’s prominence in underwater archaeology.
Source: www.dailysabah.com