Underwater archaeologists have found the world's oldest evidence of copper nuggets being transported by sea. However, they did not find any ship remains.
Archaeologists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University Center for Underwater Archeology in Toruń, Poland, explored the coast of Antalya in southern Turkey and found more than 30 copper ingots on the seabed.
They concluded that this was the world's oldest concrete evidence that copper nuggets were transported by sea.
However, this discovery does not fit into the traditional understanding of a shipwreck. Despite careful investigation, archaeologists have not found a single remnant of the ship carrying the valuable cargo. Now researchers believe the definition of what can be considered a “shipwreck” needs to be broadened.
More than 35 copper ingots were found at a depth of 50-30 meters in the dangerous reef-filled waters off the Gulf of Antalya. Each weighed approximately 20 kilograms and was clearly man-made.
It's a bit mysterious that not a single trace of the ship has been found. The wood itself may have easily been lost by being buried under sediments, as the Mediterranean has large numbers of shipworms that tend to eat entire wooden ships if they are not protected.
But archaeologists were unable to answer because they did not find any anchors that would likely have broken free if the ship capsized in the area's choppy waters. Anchors from other Bronze Age ships have also been found in the region before.
“However, we are still confident that the copper nuggets did not fall into the water for any reason other than a shipwreck,” the archaeologists wrote in their press release. Archaeologists are sure of this for several reasons.
First, the Gulf of Antalya was an important and heavily trafficked shipping route throughout much of the Bronze Age. It was a natural waterway between the Aegean Sea in the west and Cyprus, Syria and Palestine in the east. The sea area was also very dangerous; There were many underwater rocks and cliffs that ships could easily crash into in bad weather.
Secondly, the scattering of copper rods indicates a ship disaster. The ship likely hit rocks and sank down the sloping cliffs, spilling its cargo onto the seabed.
Archaeologists also emphasize that several sticks or even part of the ship may be in deeper waters. However, divers could not go deeper than 55 meters with their equipment. But more finds may be hiding in the deep blue darkness.
The copper ingots found were analyzed and archaeologists estimate that they may date back to around 1500 BC or even earlier. If so, this would be the earliest evidence that copper ingots were transported by sea. The oldest evidence so far is the famous Uluburun shipwreck, discovered in 1982 not far from the current find.
Its sinking dates back to B.C. The impressive Uluburun ship, dating back to 1305, was filled with gold objects, precious stones and metals. It took at least 10 years and more than 10 dives to uncover the entire treasure, which also included approximately 22.000 tons of copper.
Overall, researchers believe that there were probably many more Bronze Age shipwrecks in Turkish waters because trade was so widespread. The problem was that the trade was mainly in metals such as copper ingots, which developed a chalky surface after being under water for many years. This makes them difficult to find.
The team from Nicolaus Copernicus University has unearthed only 30 copper ingots so far. But they believe there is much more down there. They estimate that removing all the copper from the seabed will take two to three years unless they make more spectacular discoveries there that will prolong the process;