Shipwreck discovery in the Mediterranean

Around 1320 BCE, a merchant ship sank off the coast of Turkey near the cape of Uluburun, off the coast of Kaş, with its entire cargo. The ship transported approximately 10 tonnes of copper and 1 tonne of tin, sufficient to begin a significant bronze production.

Mystery of the ship's intended destination

The identity of those who were waiting for it remains an open question. The excavations of the site extended over eleven campaigns between 1984 and 1994. The site is located between 44 and 52 meters in depth, on a slope of approximately 45 degrees.

Unusual cargo and its discovery

The cargo also included glass, amber, ivory, and a scarab with the name of Nefertiti. A sponge diver, Mehmet Çakır, noticed strange objects while looking for sponges in 1982 and described them as "metal biscuits with ears," which were later identified as copper ingots shaped like cowhide.

Extensive and meticulous excavation

His sketches triggered eleven excavation campaigns. Led by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology under the direction of George Bass and then Cemal Pulak, the excavation site occupied American and Turkish archaeologists during eleven consecutive campaigns of three to four months between 1984 and 1994.

Challenging underwater conditions

The final count shows 22,413 dives at a single site. The teams spent 6,613 hours underwater, equivalent to more than nine months without interruption. In the end, about 17 tonnes of ancient objects were recovered. The site had nothing to do with a comfortable location.

Preservation and recovery process

The remains were found between 44 and 52 meters in depth, with scattered elements up to 61 meters, on a slope of nearly 45 degrees where even the slightest movement of equipment could damage artifacts. The cargo had spread over approximately 250 square meters after the disappearance of most of the hull.

Significance of the cargo

The depth preserved the wreck from looting, but each diver could only make two dives of a maximum of twenty minutes per day. Each recovered item then followed a precise path. It was desalinated and inventoried in a surface laboratory installed in a temporary base in Kaş.

Diverse and valuable items recovered

The team included archaeologists, but also conservators, illustrators, and specialists in metallurgy and ceramics. Underwater, some damaged ingots were even consolidated on site with a hardening epoxy in immersion and plaster. The core of the cargo consists of more than 10 tonnes of copper in so-called "oxhide" ingots.

Cultural connections and historical significance

These cowhide-shaped ingots, with their four "ears," were easier to handle and secure than irregular blocks. Then came the tin. The ship transported copper and tin in the usual ratio of 10 to 1 to produce bronze. According to the article from Science Post, this wreck is the largest intact metal reserve of the ancient world ever found.

The ship's cargo and its global reach

The rest of the cargo resembles an inventory of the known world. Among the items found were 175 disk-shaped glass ingots, colored with cobalt, turquoise, and a unique lavender hue, about one tonne of pistachio resin in Canaanite jars, as well as raw elephant tusks, ostrich eggshells, and faience beads.

Legacy and ongoing research

Among the prestige items is a golden scarab bearing the name of Nefertiti. The entire collection connects at least seven Mediterranean cultures. The ship was approximately 15 meters long and could carry more than 20 tonnes. Some authors see the cargo as destined for a royal order, a hypothesis rather than an established fact.

Ongoing study and public display

No one can name with certainty the destination port, nor the sovereign or workshop that relied on this metal. One thing is certain: the ship never arrived. The date of the shipwreck is based on detailed analyses. The INA fixes it at 1320 BCE, with a margin of 15 years, and cites a 2009 study on the absolute age of the wreck.

Continued research and museum display

Most of these goods were only known through ancient texts or Egyptian tomb paintings before this discovery. Today, the objects can be seen at the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum, and the same source specifies that conservation, sampling, and study continue. The wreck belongs to the Republic of Turkey, and its study is entrusted to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology.