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Archaeologists have recovered thousands of ceramic artifacts from a roughly 2,100-year-old shipwreck off Adrasan on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Monday.
The underwater excavation, which began in 2025 in Antalya province, has revealed the remains of a cargo ship that transported ceramic tableware from several production centers in the ancient Mediterranean, according to the ministry.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the discovery included 122 different forms and sizes of plates, bowls and trays, offering insight into the elaborate dining culture of the period.
“We are bringing 2,100-year-old tableware to light from the depths of the Mediterranean,” Ersoy said.
Luxury ceramics traded across the Mediterranean
The main cargo consisted of plates and bowls believed to have been produced in the ancient settlement of Rhosus, located in what is now the Arsuz district of southern Türkiye’s Hatay province.
The finds include nut plates, soup bowls, fish plates and trays in various sizes. The ministry said such products were particularly sought after in Rome and were traded as luxury tableware across the Mediterranean.
Amphorae believed to have been made on some Aegean islands were also discovered, suggesting that the ship carried goods from different manufacturing centers.
Link to Cicero’s correspondence
Rhosus ceramics are mentioned in the correspondence of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator. In a letter to his friend Atticus dated 50 B.C., Cicero wrote that he had ordered ceramic vessels from Rhosus for him, according to the ministry.
Researchers said the identification of Rhosus ceramics at the Adrasan wreck could provide further information about their role in ancient Mediterranean maritime trade.
How the cargo survived for more than two millennia
Many of the plates and bowls were preserved in good condition because the cargo had been packed in wooden crates with clay placed between the items. The method helped protect the ceramics from breaking as the ship sank.
“These artifacts, which have survived in good condition to the present day because of the clay placed between them when they were packed into crates, preserve evidence of Anatolia’s production expertise and the Mediterranean’s trading history,” Ersoy said.
Coins from Antioch dating to the 1st century B.C. are also helping researchers establish the date of the wreck. The findings indicate that the ship operated along a trade route linking Antioch, the Aegean, Greece and the Italian coast around the middle of the 1st century B.C.
Researchers believe the ship departed from Rhosus and was likely bound for Rome when it struck a shallow area during a storm and sank.
The wreck lies at a depth of 42-55 meters (138-180 feet). Underwater archaeologists are continuing excavations with the assistance of underwater robots.
Ersoy thanked the excavation team and others involved in documenting Türkiye’s underwater cultural heritage.
