Secrets Unveiled: Divers Discover Intact Ceramics Frozen in Time on 2,000-Year-Old Turkish Shipwreck
From the ancient city of Patara to the city of Mersin, archaeologists have identified more than 400 different shipwrecks. Thanks to the new heritage project, work is being carried out year-round to excavate and research these sites.
The newly-explored shipwreck at Adrasan isn’t the only one to contain strikingly well-preserved artifacts. In 2024, a sunken ship was found in the northern Aegean Sea, similarly containing thousands of ceramic artifacts. It holds the distinction of being the largest-known ancient plate cargo ever discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, containing 10,000 stacked plates.
Ceramics aren’t the only thing archaeologists have found in these wrecks. Some boast artifacts from elsewhere in the Mediterranean and Europe.
Turkish Ministry Of Culture And TourismThis Minoan dagger was found in a shipwreck in Turkey in 2024.
A shipwreck discovered in 2019, also found near the city of Antalya, was determined to be 3,600 years old. It held a Bronze Age Minoan dagger and is considered one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world.
Another shipwreck, which was the victim of a storm some 1,100 years ago, was found near Turkey’s Besmi Island. Archaeologists believe this ship was transporting olive oil after finding a number of amphorae and some intact olive seeds dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries C.E.
Now, Turkey is planning to build a Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum to house the artifacts and other discoveries from these shipwreck explorations. While the project design has been completed, it is unclear when the project will begin construction.
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