Recent underwater excavations off the coast of Turkey unveiled olive pits from a shipwreck that sank 1,100 years ago. The ship, loaded with olive oil, had set sail from the Gaza coast of Palestine before being caught in a storm near Antalya, according to Milliyet.
Associate Professor Dr. Hakan Öniz, head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration at Akdeniz University's Faculty of Fine Arts, and his team began underwater excavations near Besmi Island, off the coast of Kaş district in Antalya. The excavations took place at a depth of approximately 45-50 meters.
Over the past year, they conducted deep-water excavations using underwater robots. The team focused their work on the wreck at Besmi Island, which is known and accessible to tourists but situated at a depth that limits diving access. "We focused our work on the amphorae from the 9th-10th century, 1,100 years old, found in the wreck," said Öniz, noting that these finds, although known in literature, have never been encountered in amphorae in Turkey before, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
The objects found are intended for display in the Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum, which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is about to lay the foundation for in Kemer, as reported by CNN Türk.
Öniz explained that amphorae from different regions had distinct characteristics in ancient times. The team was able to ascertain that the shipwreck originated from Palestine based on the amphora typology found within. "We identified the wreck as a ship loaded with olive oil that had sailed from Gaza's coast and encountered a storm off Kaş," he said.
The ship sank after hitting a small rock or island while transporting olive oil in amphorae to an unknown location. The remains of the ship have excited scientists.
Öniz highlighted the importance of olives as a staple food for sailors in antiquity. "Since the Bronze Age, for about 5,000 years, olives have been the indispensable food of sailors in the Mediterranean," he stated, according to CNN Türk. He explained that sailors needed non-perishable food for long journeys. "Olives placed in amphorae would become edible in seawater within a week and could last for months without spoiling. For this reason, it was an essential food," he said. He added, "We also know that they carried live animals and wheat on ships, and in the ship's mills, it was ground into flour and bread was made."
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
