Turkey: 3,600-year-old shipwreck found in Mediterranean

By Sinan Ozmus</p> <p>ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) – A merchant ship some 3,600 years old has been found off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. </p> <p>The 14-meter (46-foot) shipwreck loaded with copper ingots was discovered by an underwater research team from Akdeniz University in Antalya, southern Turkey. </p> <p>Antalya Governor Munir Karaoglu hailed the discovery as a “breakthrough” in underwater archaeology. </p> <p>“It is a wreck dating back to 1600 BC. We’re talking about a 3,600-year-old wreck,” Karaoglu told a press conference.</p> <p>“The length of the ship is 14 meters. The weight of copper ingots that it carries is 1.5 tons,” he added. </p> <p>“This is also a ship carrying the earliest industrial products in the world,&quot; he said. &quot;These features make it a breakthrough in scholarship.&quot;</p> <p>The ship is believed to have sunk due to a storm it hit while sailing to the island of Crete or the Aegean Sea.</p> <p> </p> <p>* Writing by Nilay Kar Onum </p> <p>