3,600-year-old bronze dagger found in Minoan shipwreck

A Minoan bronze dagger with silver rivets was found in a 3,600-year-old shipwreck off the Mediterranean coast of Kumluca, Turkey.

Lying at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet) underwater, the ship is the oldest trading shipwreck in the world and one of the oldest ever discovered. It is 14 meters (46 feet) long and was carrying 1.5 tons of copper ingots from the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus to Crete. Underwater archaeologists have been on site since 2019 documenting the wreck and retrieving samples.

Modern survey techniques, including sonar scanning, photogrammetry and photo-mosaic mapping, have enabled researchers to create a detailed 3D model of the nugget. Analysis suggests that the nugget came from a mine in Cyprus and was cast in the 15th or 16th century BC. Research into this extraordinary shipwreck will continue over the next five years.

At the height of their power, the Cretan-Minoans became a major maritime power in the eastern Mediterranean about 3,600 years ago, establishing an extensive trade network. These routes connected the Minoans with Egypt, the Levant (modern Syria, Lebanon, and Israel), Anatolia (modern Turkey), Cyprus, and mainland Greece.

The Minoans were renowned for their seafaring skills, and they facilitated a widespread exchange of goods, making Crete a key hub in the ancient world of trade.

Their trade involved a variety of goods, with metals being the most prominent. Copper, a key raw material for bronze production, was imported primarily from Cyprus, while tin came from far-flung regions such as modern-day Afghanistan or Cornwall, England. The Minoans not only exported raw materials, but also bronze tools, weapons, and artifacts throughout the Mediterranean.

Objects recovered from the wreck, as well as others discovered in the area, will be exhibited at the future Kemer Underwater Archaeology Museum, which is still in the planning stages.