Hundreds of ancient ceramics found in the remains of shipwrecks preserved in Türkiye
Hundreds of ancient ceramics were found in a shipwreck off the Turkish coast “perfectly stacked in their original locations.”
Ceramic plates, trays and bowls date back to the late Hellenistic-delicious Roman period and were found on the Adrasan coast in the Kumluca region of Antalya. Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also visited the underwater archaeological site.
Ersoy said in a press statement after diving that the cargo ship dates back to about two thousand years. Affix the ceramic artifacts to the original clay and “place one inside the other to protect them” is a storage method that “very helpful” to retain the original color, pattern and surface features on the “almost complete” of the ceramic.
“These data provide very valuable data in terms of production and packaging technology,” Ersoy added, noting that the items were preserved through regional laboratories in the department for recovery and protection.
Essoi continued: “This is also an extremely valuable discovery not only for our country, but also for world cultural heritage.”
The cargo ship excavation is part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage of the Future” project, which aims to speed up shorter time for archaeological research and excavation.
The Culture and Tourism Minister also noted that there are a lot of underwater exploration on the country’s coast, with more than 400 wrecks from the area from Patara to Mersin.
“Our professors are working in these areas in a very intense and disciplined way,” Essoi said. The expedition notes that exploration provides opportunities for scientific research and tourism. “Every time the shipwreck is a new door opening in the seabed that we used to open. Institutions such as the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum showcased the public the product of these meticulous excavations.”
Hakan Öniz, associate professor at Akdens University who led the excavation, said archaeologists encountered “thousands of plate rock clusters in the area” and would be opened to diving tourism after the excavation of the wreck was completed.
Essoi also announced that a new museum will begin this month in the Kemer Idyros area, where the construction process will begin this month, where ceramic artifacts will be exhibited in the future. In addition, the Antalya Archaeological Museum will have a special section on underwater archaeology.
