4748) Did You Know Series (155): i) The world’s oldest known shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey dating back between 4,400 and 4,700 years (2600-2400 BC), placing it in the Early Bronze Age – around the same time the Great Pyramid of Giza was being built: 2) Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology exhibiting recovered items from shipwrecks including Jewellery:
Archaeologists have been left stunned after finding the wreck, which dates back between 4,400 and 4,700 years, placing it in the Early Bronze Age – around the same time the Great Pyramid of Giza was being built:·
- Although the wooden hull has disappeared, ancient storage pots on the wreck have been found containing mysterious traces of their original contents.
- Researchers believe that the vessel, which was found on the seabed near Kekova Island off Antalya in southern Turkey, was around 10 metres long and used to transport goods across the Mediterranean.
A time-capsule:
‘The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea, comparing the decoration techniques … we can definitely say our wreck is Early Bronze Age. This is 100%,’’ said Professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, who led the expedition by the Mediterranean Archaeology Association.
- The wreck lies around 30 metres beneath the surface, with artefacts scattered across an underwater slope.
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The ship was found on the seabed near Kekova Island off Antalya in southern Turkey. Researchers have surmised that the vessel was around 10 metres long (30 feet or thereabouts).
- Among the discoveries were three large stone anchors and more than 30 ceramic storage pots, known as "amphorae".
- With no surviving wood available for radiocarbon dating, researchers established the wreck’s age by studying the distinctive shape and design of the pottery.
- The pots feature two handles, a ridge around the middle and a flat base.
- Their design matches similar vessels discovered in Egypt and the Middle East that date back between 4,400 and 4,700 years.
The pots brought to the surface:
- Divers brought the pots to the surface, where experts are now carefully conserving them after thousands of years underwater.
But one discovery has left researchers particularly astonished: some of the vessels still contain a thick, glossy residue:
- Dr Karin Sowada, an archaeologist from Macquarie University in Australia, examined the pots after they were recovered.
- ‘I looked inside and nearly fainted. I could not believe how much residue was visible. It wasn’t just like spots … a lot of this material was still remaining.,’ she said.
- However, Dr Sowada warned that the contents might not be what was originally transported.
- The pots could have been emptied and reused over many years, meaning the residue might have come from a later use.
- ‘These jars are huge – they’re not things that you just ship away and then never see again,’ she said. ‘People would have emptied these jars on arrival and potentially used them for many, many, many years.’
- Scientists are now trying to establish what the residue is, with olive oil, wine and tree resins among the possibilities.
Trading networks in the Early Bronze Age:
- The discovery could also
offer a rare glimpse into trading networks during the Early Bronze Age.
- Researchers believe the ship began its journey somewhere along the eastern Mediterranean coast and may have been heading towards the ancient city of Troy, in what is now north-western Turkey, or the Minoan civilisation on Crete.
- The Nile Delta, in northern Egypt, empties into the Mediterranean, creating a fertile region that has historically supported dense populations and major cities.
- This northern coast has been central to Egypt’s trade, cultural exchange, and maritime connections with other Mediterranean civilisations, including the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.
- Sailing around Kekova Island was dangerous, with powerful currents and winds responsible for numerous shipwrecks over the centuries.
- Hundreds of wrecks have been found in the surrounding area.
- For Professor Öniz, the discovery is also a chance to connect with the people behind the ancient voyage. ‘We are the first humans who have touched these objects after 5,000 years,’ he said.
He added that "he often thinks about the sailors, the people who made the pots and those who carried them aboard – as well as the families who may have waited in vain for the crew to return".
Oldest Shipwreck discovered in the World:
- The find overtakes a wreck
off the Greek island of Dokos, previously considered the world’s oldest known
shipwreck, which dates back around 4,200 years.
- The Kekova shipwreck is the oldest known shipwreck in the world, according to archeologists. The shipwreck has been dated to the Early Bronze Age, between 2700–2400 BC, which would make it older than the Dokos shipwreck in Greece.
The oldest shipwreck found in Turkey is the Early Bronze Age Kekova shipwreck near Kekova Island in Antalya, dated to approximately 4,400–4,700 years old (2600–2400 BC).
Significance:
- This discovery predates the
previously oldest known shipwreck at Dokos (c. 2200 BC), making the Kekova
wreck several centuries older and offering new insights into Early Bronze Age
maritime trade.
- The Kekova shipwreck remains a crucial archaeological find for understanding early Mediterranean seafaring and trade networks.
Some Artefacts recovered:
- Artifacts recovered from the Kekova shipwreck site in Turkey, particularly the amphorae (ceramic transport jars) that have been documented by underwater archaeologists.
Notable artifacts reported from the Kekova shipwreck include:
- Amphorae (storage jars), which formed the main cargo. Archaeologists have documented numerous examples, including basket-handle amphorae and other transport vessels.
- Stone anchors, found alongside the cargo on the seabed.
- In the recently publicised Early Bronze Age wreck near Kekova, more than 30 ceramic amphorae were reported, some still containing traces of their original contents.
The first images (above and below) is a documented amphora from the Kekova shipwreck site
Remnants of a Stone Anchor.
The other images show underwater archaeological material and survey work associated with Kekova sites
- The marked amphora with nine symbols could provide rare evidence about food preparation aboard Bronze Age trading vessels, although further study is ongoing.
- These items are now on display in the Underwater Archeology Museum in Bodrum Castle.
Bodrum Castle - A Museum of Underwater Archaeology:
Bodrum Castle (Turkish: Bodrum Kalesi) is a historical fortification located in southwest Turkey in the port city of Bodrum, built from 1402 onwards, by the "Knights of St John" (:Knights Hospitaller") as the Castle of St. Peter or Petronium.
- A transnational effort, it has four towers known as the English, French, German, and Italian towers, bearing the names of the nations responsible for their construction.
- The chapel was begun building around 1407 and the first walls completed in 1437.
- The castle started reconstruction in the late 15th century, only to be taken over by the Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1523.
- The chapel was converted to a mosque, and a minaret was added. The castle remained under the empire for almost 400 years.
- After remaining empty following World War I, in the early 1960s, the castle became the home for the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
In 2016 it was inscribed in the UNESCO Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.
Stained-glass Knights Hospitaller coats of arms in the English Tower.
- Confronted by the now firmly established Ottoman Sultanate, the Knights Hospitaller, whose headquarters were on the island of Rhodes, needed another stronghold on the mainland.
- Grand Master Philibert de Naillac (1396–1421) identified a suitable site across from the island of Kos, where a castle had already been built by the Order.
- Its location was the site of a fortification in Doric times (1110 BC) as well as of a small Seljuk castle in the 11th century.
- The same promontory is also the probable site of the Palace of Mausolos, the famous King of Caria.
- In his travel diary "Travels In Asia Minor", Charles Boileau Elliot describes this palace as the Palace of Mausolus with absolute certainty, and this account was written in the year 1840.
The French Tower:
- The construction of the castle began in 1404 under the supervision of the German knight architect Heinrich Schlegelholt.
- Construction workers were guaranteed a reservation in heaven by a Papal Decree of 1409.
- They used squared green volcanic stone, marble columns and reliefs from the nearby Mausoleum of Halicarnassus to fortify the castle.
- The first walls were completed in 1437. The chapel was among the first completed inner structures (probably 1406). It consists of a vaulted nave and an apse. The chapel was reconstructed in Gothic style by Spanish Knights of Malta in 1519–1520. Their names can be found on two cornerstones of the façade. Fourteen cisterns for collecting rainwater were excavated in the rocks under the castle.
- Each langue of the Order had its own tower, each in its own style.
- Each tongue, each headed by a Bailiff, was responsible for the maintenance and defense of a specific portion of the fortress and for manning it with sufficient numbers of knights and soldiers. There were seven gates leading to the inner part of the fortress.
- The architect applied the latest features in castle design; the passages leading to the gates were full of twists and turns.
- Eventual assailants could not find cover against the arrows, stones or heated projectiles they had to confront.
- The knights had placed above the gates and on the walls hundreds of painted coats of arms and carved reliefs.
- Two hundred and forty-nine separate designs still remain, including those of grand masters, castle commandants, countries, and personal Coat of Arms of knights and religious figures.
Ottoman banners
hanging in the English Tower:
- The construction of the three-storied English tower was finished in 1413.
- One door opens to the north, to the inner part of the castle, while the other leads to the western rampart. One could only access this tower via a drawbridge.
- The western façade shows an antique carved relief of a lion. Because of this relief, the tower was also called "the Lion Tower". Above this lion, one can see the Coat of Arms of King Henry IV of England.
- For over a century St. Peter's Castle remained the second most important castle of the Order. It served as a refuge for all Christians in Asia Minor.
- The castle came under attack with the rise of the Ottoman Empire, first after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and again in 1480 by Sultan Mehmed II.
- The attacks were repelled by the Knights of St John.
- In 1482, Prince Cem Sultan, son of Sultan Mehmed II and brother of Sultan Bayezid II, sought refuge in the castle, after a failure in raising a revolt against his brother.
An old disused cannon used for guarding the ramparts of the fort.
- When the Knights decided to fortify the castle in 1494, they used stones from the Mausoleum once again.
- The walls facing the mainland were thickened in order to withstand the increasing destructive power of cannon.
- The walls facing the sea were less thick, since the Order had little to fear from a sea attack due to their powerful naval fleet.
Grand Master Fabrizio del Carretto (1513–21) built a round bastion to strengthen the land side of the fortress. Thomas Docwra was appointed Captain of the Castle in 1499.
16th century fortifications:
- Between 1505 and 1507 the few sculptures from the mausoleum that had not been smashed and burnt for lime were integrated into the castle for decoration.
- These included twelve slabs of the Amazonomachy (combat between Amazons and Greeks) and a single block of the Centauromachy, a few standing lions, and one running leopard.
Philippe Villiers, who ordered the Castle to be fortified:
- When faced with an attack from Sultan Suleiman, Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers, ordered the Castle to be strengthened again.
- Much of the remaining portions of the mausoleum were broken up and used as building material to fortify the castle.
- By 1522 almost every block of the mausoleum had been removed.
In June 1522 the sultan attacked the Order's headquarters in Rhodes from the Bay of Marmaris with 200,000 soldiers (Siege of Rhodes (1522)). The castle of Rhodes fell in December 1522.
- The terms of surrender included the handing over of the Knights' fortresses in Kos and St Peter's Castle in Bodrum.
- After the surrender, the chapel was converted into a mosque and a minaret was added. This mosque was called the Süleymaniye Camii, as attested by a traveller, Evliya Chelebi, who visited Bodrum in 1671.
- The minaret was destroyed on 26 May 1915 by rounds fired by a French warship during World War I. It was reconstructed in its original shape in 1997.
- In 1846 Charles John Canning, the Ambassador to Constantinople, was a British politician and later Governor-General of India.
- Canning is credited with establishing the first modern Universities in India – the Universities of Lucknow, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
- In later years, the castle has been used for different purposes. It was used as a military base by the Turkish Army during the Greek Revolt in 1824.
- In the 19th century, the chapel which had been converted for use as a mosque had a minaret added. At the same time, a hamam (public bath) was installed in the castle.
- In 1895 the castle was turned into a prison. During World War I, the castle was fired upon by a French warship, toppling the minaret and damaging several towers.
- After the Great War, the Italians established a garrison in the castle but withdrew in 1921 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to power, when the castle stood empty for 40 years.
Museum of Underwater Archaeology:
Bodrum Castle in 2020.
- In 1962 the Turkish Government decided to turn the castle into a museum for the underwater discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea.
- This has become the "Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology", with a collection of amphoras, ancient glass, bronze, clay, and iron items.
- It is the biggest museum of its kind devoted to underwater archaeology.
- Most of its collection dates from underwater excavations carried out by the "Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA)" after 1960.
These excavations were performed on several shipwrecks:
- - Fineke
Gelidonya shipwreck (12th century BC): 1958–1959; first
underwater excavation in Turkey
- Bodrum-Yassiada shipwreck (Byzantine, 7th century AD): 1961–1964; Roman merchant vessel with 900 amphoras
- Bodrum -Yassiada
shipwreck (Late Roman, 4th century AD)
- Bodrum-Yassiada shipwreck (Ottoman, 16th century AD) (dated by a 16th-century four-real silver coin from Seville (Philip II) )
- Ṣeytan
Deresi shipwreck (16th century BC)
- Serçe Limanı Shipwreck (glass, 11th century AD): 1977; collection of Islamic glassware
- Marmaris-Serçe harbour shipwreck (Hellenistic, 3rd BC)
Kaṣ-Uluburun
shipwreck (14th century BC): 1982–1995; 10 tons of
Cypriot copper ingots; one ton of pure tin ingots; 150 glass ingots;
manufactured goods; Mycenaean pottery; Egyptian seals (with a seal of queen
Nefertiti) and jewellery.
Tektaṣ
Burnu Classical Greek shipwreck (5th century BC):
1999–2001
The former chapel
houses an exhibition of vases and amphoras form the Mycenaean age (14th to 12th
centuries BC) and findings from the Bronze Age (around 2500 BC).
The Italian Tower houses a collection spanning many centuries in the Coin and Jewellery Hall:
Another exhibition room is devoted exclusively to the tomb of a Carian princess, who died between 360 and 325 BC.
The collection of ancient glass objects is one of the four largest ancient glass collections in the world.
Finally, two ancient
shipwrecks have been reconstructed: the Fatımi ship,
sunk in 1077 AD, and the large Uluburun Shipwreck from the 14th century BC.
- A garden inside the castle is a collection of almost every plant and tree of the Mediterranean region, including both the myrtle, and the plane tree. Turquoise and amber peacocks parade under flowering trees and bushes.
- From the towers it is possible to see the entire city as well as some of the neighbouring bays.
Links:
Turkish Shipwrecks:
Shipwrecks from Spain:
The Clipper - Cutty Sark:
Links to more posts on Morocco on this Blog:
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