Archaeology breakthrough as shipwreck with 2,000 year old items leaves scientists shocked

Marine archaeologists working off the coast of Turkey have made an incredible discovery. An ancient shipwreck containing remarkably well-preserved artefacts from 2,000 years ago has been found by the Adrasan coast, Antalya, at a depth of around 120 to 150 feet.

Alongside the vessel, which dates back to the Late Hellenistic-Early Roman period, an extraordinary collection of ceramic ware, bowls, plates, trays and pots, was also found, all in their original stacked arrangement. What's left the scientists surprised is the pristine condition of the items, with their designs and colours intact despite having spent the last two millennia underwater. Turkish culture and tourism minister Mehmet, Nuri Ersoy, undertook a dive himself to inspect the wreck and expressed his amazement at the find: "We are facing a discovery like no other in the world," he stated.

The ceramics' exceptional state of preservation was due to a protective raw clay coating applied before shipping. This technique created a natural sealant that shielded the items from corrosion and marine erosion, a technique that has never been documented on such an extensive scale in archaeological finds before.

"The ceramics embedded inside this cargo ship that is about two thousand years old have reached the present day without even spoiling their patterns," Minister Ersoy added, according to GB News.

"This is an extremely valuable discovery not only for our country, but also in terms of world cultural heritage."

The ship is reportedly said to have been transporting consumer goods, with the cargo's pristine arrangement offering researchers valuable information about ancient packaging and logistical practices.

This latest find is one of now more than 400 shipwrecks identified between the ancient city of Patara and Mersin. This high concentration of vessels helps to illustrate the vast maritime trade networks that operated throughout the eastern Mediterranean during this period.

This news comes as utility workers, while installing new pipes in Peru's capital city, Lima, stumbled across an unexpected but very exciting pre-Inca burial. The grave belonged to a child between 10 and 15 who had remained undisturbed for some 1,000 years, even with wisps of dark brown hair still visible on its head.

Meanwhile, scientists in Egypt think they've discovered the reason behind the reputed "pharaoh's curse," which could be a game-changer in the fight against cancer. For decades, the uncanny deaths of the excavation team who uncovered the Egyptian king's resting place in 1922 were linked to a supernatural, but scientists believe they have worked out why.