A group of Turkish archaeologists have made a surprising discovery when they found the remains of olives in an ancient amphora found in the remains of a shipwreck that set sail over a thousand years ago from the coast of Gaza in Palestine and sank off the coast of Antalya, in the south of Turkey: it is the first find of its kind in underwater expeditions off the coast of Turkey, marking a major milestone for archaeology and history.
The discovery was made by a team led by Professor Hakan Öniz, head of the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Akdeniz University in Antalya, who told the DHA news agency that the underwater excavations began in 2024 at a depth of 45-50 metres off the islet of Besmi, off the coast of Kaş (Antalya). ‘We focused our work on the amphorae from the 9th-10th century, 1,100 years ago, found in the remains of the ship,’ said the expert, adding that thanks to the type of amphora it was possible to identify its origin in ancient Palestine.
Öniz explained that the submerged ship set sail from the coast of Gaza 1,100 years ago bound for an unknown destination loaded with olive oil stored in amphorae, but encountered a storm and sank after hitting some rocks. The amphorae were extracted from the wreck and brought to the surface using underwater robots, and in one of them something unheard of was discovered: ‘We found olives, or rather olive seeds, in one of the amphorae,’ the professor said. ‘Olives have been a food of Mediterranean sailors for almost 5,000 years, since the Bronze Age,’ he added.
In ancient times and during the Middle Ages, seafarers needed to carry non-perishable food with them on their long voyages across the Mediterranean, Öniz explained: ‘Olives stored in amphorae became edible in seawater within a week, and could last for months without spoiling. For this reason, they were an essential food.’ Ships also transported live animals and wheat, which was ground in the ship’s mills to produce flour with which bread was made for the sailors.
‘The shipwreck is very interesting because of its depth and its cargo. Olive oil and wine were goods that were transported by ship in ancient times, but what we discovered in one of the amphorae was particularly surprising… Although their existence was known, until now we had never made a find like this in amphorae. In fact, only a few examples have been found worldwide, and this is the first one in Turkey,’ the professor emphasised. The remains found in the sunken ship will be exhibited to the public in the Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Mediterranean planned in the Kemer district of Antalya.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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