The world’s oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, archaeologists said.
The merchant vessel was built in the Early Bronze Age between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, which would make it roughly as old as Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza.
No trace of the ship’s timber construction has survived, but archaeologists have discovered three large stone anchors and more than 30 ceramic storage pots.
Remarkably, the amphorae still contained a liquid, which may be the remains of olive oil, tree resin or wine.
The archaeologists also found an unusual amphora that suggested sailors on board may have been able to make cheese or butter.
The container had distinct markings and two holes in its body, and scientists have speculated that it may have been used as a churn.
That suggested that the ship carried goats on board, with the milk used to produce fresh dairy products to sustain the crew on long journeys.
“These are the oldest known remains of a sea-going ship yet found,” Dr Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from Australia’s Macquarie University who was involved in the discovery, told The Telegraph.
“While the wooden ship itself has disintegrated, the durable remains of the cargo are still preserved, giving archaeologists a time capsule from the past.”
The remains of the 30ft ship were found at a depth of around 100ft near the island of Kekova on the southern coast of Turkey.
Its age was determined from analysis of the amphorae.
Their design and shape matched clay pots from the Middle East and Egypt during the Early Bronze Age, which have a distinctive flat base, a ridge in the middle and a pair of handles.
‘The missing piece of the story’
The discovery sheds further light on trade routes in the Mediterranean.
Scientists believe that the vessel started its voyage along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. It was most likely headed towards ancient Troy or Crete, home to the Minoan civilisation, when it sank.
Dr Sowada said: “The ship represents a ‘missing piece’ of the story about ancient trade relations in the eastern Mediterranean. It was travelling along the southern coast of Turkey with trade goods that we now know were part of a much wider exchange network.”
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish culture minister, said the amphorae were most likely produced in workshops in the Jordan Valley.
Prof Hakan Öniz, who led the expedition that discovered the shipwreck, said it was incredible to think that he and his team were the first people to touch the artefacts in nearly 5,000 years.
He said he was “100 per cent” certain that the merchant ship dated from the Early Bronze Age.
The research team, led by the Mediterranean Archaeology Association, brought the amphorae to the surface to be studied and conserved.
Dr Sowada said she was amazed to see that the clay pots still contained some viscous residue, and hoped the nature of the material would be established by further scientific analysis.
She said she was proud to be involved in the discovery of the oldest shipwreck in the world:
“After over 30 years in terrestrial archaeology, I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to bring my experience to a maritime expedition on such an extraordinary discovery,” she added.
Until now, the record for the world’s oldest wreck belonged to a ship discovered off the Greek island of Dokos, which was 4,200 years old.