Polish scientists from the Centre for Underwater Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, located in central Poland, have uncovered Bronze Age ingots in what is believed to be the world's oldest shipwreck off the coast of Turkey.
The ship was laden with copper intended for bronze production.
“The most remarkable aspect is the antiquity of this discovery. If not the oldest, it is one of the oldest wrecks. It confirms the early and complex scale of copper trade. I believe that further analyses may enhance the significance of this find,” stated Dr. Andrzej Pydyn, the lead researcher.
While the discovery may not resemble a conventional shipwreck, according to underwater archaeologists' methodology, the cargo itself can be regarded as a wreck, in this instance, the cargo of a Bronze Age vessel found off the Turkish coast.
According to the researchers, the copper ingots ended up in the water due to a maritime accident. One of the supporting arguments is the arrangement of the recovered cargo.
“The ship had to be pushed onto the rocks and sank quite quickly. It was heavy, and when the hull was damaged, it dropped fast, and the cargo slid down the slope, which is very steep in this place. In some places there were single ingots, but here and there, due to the shape of the bottom, one ingot would lie on top of the other,” explained Dr. Pydyn.
The researchers' main tasks included documentation preparation, primarily through photogrammetry (reconstructing object shapes, sizes, and relative positions based on photographs), creating 3D models of the seabed and artifacts, and extracting ingots.
The researchers note that the wreck's age can be determined based on the evolution of the copper ingots' shapes over time.
“It appears that the currently discovered wreck is the oldest one. The ingots that we find typologically are among the earliest—from the 16th or maybe even 17th century BCE. In fact, we are already moving back from the Late Bronze Age to the Middle Bronze Age. (...) According to older archaeological literature, in the Late Bronze Age, it was the Mycenaeans who controlled shipping and trade in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. However, our wreck must have sailed in times when the Minoan culture still dominated,” stated Dr. Pydyn.
The researchers estimate that there may be more Late Bronze Age wrecks in the area due to the extensive copper trade during that time.
“During that period, copper ore was mined only in a few places in the Mediterranean, and the demand for copper was huge. In Central Europe, metallurgical production was based on contacts with the Anatolian, Balkan, Caucasian, and Carpathian sources, while for the eastern part of the Mediterranean, the primary source of this raw material was Cyprus. The demand for copper was high in the developing civilizations,” Pydyn explained.
The wreck awaits further exploration in subsequent seasons. According to the researchers, the extraction of copper from the seabed is expected to take two to three years. The research project participants included Dr. Andrzej Pydyn, Dr. Mateusz Popek, and student Szymon Mosakowski from the Centre for Underwater Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The international team's efforts were coordinated by Professor Hakan Oniz from Akdeniz University.
“The most remarkable aspect is the antiquity of this discovery. If not the oldest, it is one of the oldest wrecks. It confirms the early and complex scale of copper trade. I believe that further analyses may enhance the significance of this find,” stated Dr. Andrzej Pydyn, the lead researcher.
While the discovery may not resemble a conventional shipwreck, according to underwater archaeologists' methodology, the cargo itself can be regarded as a wreck, in this instance, the cargo of a Bronze Age vessel found off the Turkish coast.
According to the researchers, the copper ingots ended up in the water due to a maritime accident. One of the supporting arguments is the arrangement of the recovered cargo.
“The ship had to be pushed onto the rocks and sank quite quickly. It was heavy, and when the hull was damaged, it dropped fast, and the cargo slid down the slope, which is very steep in this place. In some places there were single ingots, but here and there, due to the shape of the bottom, one ingot would lie on top of the other,” explained Dr. Pydyn.
The primary artifacts at the site are distinctive copper ingots shaped like oxhides, each weighing around 20 kg. Approximately 30 pieces have been retrieved so far.Nasi naukowcy z Centrum Archeologii Podwodnej badali wrak statku z epoki brązu zatopiony u wybrzeży Turcji.
— UMK Torun (@UMK_Torun) February 13, 2024
O podwodnych odkryciach piszemy na naszym portalu informacyjnym w artykule "Prehistoria zatopiona w morzu" 👉 https://t.co/4h84vnEOzi#UMK #UMK_badawczy #portalUMK pic.twitter.com/rZojLnE9Il
The researchers' main tasks included documentation preparation, primarily through photogrammetry (reconstructing object shapes, sizes, and relative positions based on photographs), creating 3D models of the seabed and artifacts, and extracting ingots.
The researchers note that the wreck's age can be determined based on the evolution of the copper ingots' shapes over time.
“It appears that the currently discovered wreck is the oldest one. The ingots that we find typologically are among the earliest—from the 16th or maybe even 17th century BCE. In fact, we are already moving back from the Late Bronze Age to the Middle Bronze Age. (...) According to older archaeological literature, in the Late Bronze Age, it was the Mycenaeans who controlled shipping and trade in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. However, our wreck must have sailed in times when the Minoan culture still dominated,” stated Dr. Pydyn.
The researchers estimate that there may be more Late Bronze Age wrecks in the area due to the extensive copper trade during that time.
“During that period, copper ore was mined only in a few places in the Mediterranean, and the demand for copper was huge. In Central Europe, metallurgical production was based on contacts with the Anatolian, Balkan, Caucasian, and Carpathian sources, while for the eastern part of the Mediterranean, the primary source of this raw material was Cyprus. The demand for copper was high in the developing civilizations,” Pydyn explained.
The wreck awaits further exploration in subsequent seasons. According to the researchers, the extraction of copper from the seabed is expected to take two to three years. The research project participants included Dr. Andrzej Pydyn, Dr. Mateusz Popek, and student Szymon Mosakowski from the Centre for Underwater Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The international team's efforts were coordinated by Professor Hakan Oniz from Akdeniz University.
Source: Science in Poland
More In History MORE...
