Uluburun wreck
Off Kaş, Turkey
What happened
In the late 1300s BCE a trading ship sank off Uluburun, a cape near Kaş on the coast of Turkey. It was carrying about ten tons of copper and about one ton of tin, the two metals used to make bronze. In 1982 a sponge diver spotted what he called metal biscuits with ears, which turned out to be copper ingots.
Why it matters
It is one of the oldest shipwrecks ever found. Its cargo came from many different cultures, showing how far people traded across the Mediterranean in the Bronze Age.
What came next
Divers excavated the wreck over 11 seasons between 1984 and 1994, logging more than 22,000 dives. The finds are conserved and studied at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Turkey.
Did you know?
The ship carried a gold scarab with the name of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti on it.
Timeline
- Late 1300s BCEThe trading ship sinks off Uluburun.
- 1982Sponge diver Mehmet Çakir finds the wreck.
- 1984Excavation begins, led by George Bass.
- 1985 to 1994Cemal Pulak directs the excavation.