A 1,100-year-old sealed amphora was discovered in a shipwreck off the coast of Kas, Antalya, during an underwater excavation using robotic technology, officials said.
The excavation was led by associate professor Hakan Öniz of Akdeniz University, under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage for the Future Project.” A 20-member diving team operated on behalf of the Antalya Museum.
After meticulous work, the team retrieved the sealed amphora from a depth of about 45 to 50 meters (about 148 to 165 feet).
Before bringing it ashore, the amphora was carefully processed and transported to Akdeniz University’s Underwater Archaeology Laboratory. Experts examined it under microscopes and used precision tools to open the sealed mouth, a process that took about an hour.
Samples were collected from inside the amphora, and experts examined its texture, contents and scent to help identify what was stored inside.
Anadolu filmed the retrieval and opening of the amphora. Öniz said the ship, believed to have sailed from Gaza about 1,100 years ago, likely sank off the Mediterranean coast during a storm.
Öniz told Anadolu that olive oil was Gaza’s primary export at the time, while wine was produced in Tekirdağ in northwestern Türkiye.
“This trade ship stopped at several ports. It was during the ninth and 10th centuries, during the Abbasid and Islamic rule. Looking at the amphoras on the ship that possibly contained wine, we do not think the people of Palestine consumed wine, but it might have been goods sent as gifts to migrants, Christian pilgrims or visitors to Jerusalem,” he said.
Öniz said sealed amphoras surviving for over 1,000 years are extremely rare.
“It could contain olive pits, olive oil, wine or fish sauce, but it might also be something entirely different. It is really an exciting process because it is a sealed amphora. After 1,100 years, its mouth was opened, and what’s inside will be determined after the analysis process. The opening was thrilling, but waiting for the result is even more exciting,” he said.
Professor Meltem Asiltürk Ersoy of Akdeniz University said this was the first time in her career that she would examine the contents of a sealed amphora.
Describing the samples as clay-like, Ersoy said, “During the 1,100 years in the sea environment, we will try to understand what has happened under pressure and temperature changes. Scientific studies require multiple analyses to corroborate each other. So, this process will take a long time. We will combine the results of the analysis with information from that period and present the results to the world of science and archaeology.”
Rabia Nur Akyüz, a restorer-conservator who carried out the desalination and opening of the amphora’s lid, said the team kept the amphora constantly wet during the process to prevent the formations on it from drying out.