Скачать или смотреть Turkish minister visits 2,000-year-old trade vessel unearthed in Mediterranean in 2023

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, visited the coast of Adrasan in Antalya, where underwater excavations carried out in 2023 uncovered a shipwreck dating back to the Late Hellenistic–Early Roman period.

The wreck was found at a depth of 46 meters, and the artifacts aboard (mainly plates) are spread between 35 and 46 meters underwater. The site has sparked major excitement in the archaeological world due to its extraordinary preservation.

Nuri Ersoy, also participated in a dive to visit the artifacts underwater, where even the finest details remain remarkably intact after two millennia.

The average dive to the sunken ship lasts around 40 minutes. Each cleaning phase reveals hundreds of new historical artifacts from the depths of the Mediterranean.

This ancient shipwreck off Antalya's coast is believed to date back approximately 2,000 years, offering invaluable insights into ancient maritime trade.
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Culture and Tourism Minister Ersoy examining the artifacts underwater

VS Diving team inspecting the shipwreck remains

AERIAL Dive boat and preparation phase before diving

VS Minister Ersoy at the shipwreck site

C/U Historical artifacts

SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism: "While loading the ship, they placed raw clay between the plates to prevent damage during transport. That’s how they protected them from breaking—2,000 years ago. And for 2,000 years, that same method has preserved them underwater."

C/U Some of the artifacts brought to the surface

MS Minister receiving information about the recovered artifacts

SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism: "Türkiye is one of the most successful and rapidly advancing countries in underwater archaeology—perhaps even among the top-ranked."

WS / VS Minister Ersoy jumping into the water from a fishing boat

Inspection dive of the shipwreck

SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Öniz, Akdeniz University Academic: "Thanks to this wreck, we are basically teleported back 2,000 years. It gave us the clearest and most definitive information about what kitchens were like during the Late Hellenistic to Early Roman Imperial period."

VS Diving team