How the Uluburun shipwreck was discovered accidentally by a sponge diver

In 1982, a discovery made by a sponge diver prompted archaeologists to complete 22,000 dives to excavate the area of the Uluburun shipwreck.

The 3,300-year-old shipwreck was initially discovered by a diver off the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near Kaş, according to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA)’s website, who excavated the area.

The area was excavated by underwater archaeologists over eleven seasons between 1984 and 1994, according to the source.

The Uluburun shipwreck was discovered by a sponge diver in 1982. Today, there is an exhibit dedicated to the Bronze Age relics found at the site at Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Turkey. (Ali Balli/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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There are many challenges that come with underwater archaeology, including but certainly not limited to issues regarding conserving objects in the water, as well as weather, tides and marine life potentially posing additional hurdles.

The excavation of the wreck lasted 10 years, and the total working time came to be three to four months, according to Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology’s website, which has an exhibit dedicated to the Uluburun shipwreck, as well as notable others.

Archaeologists excavated over 18,000 relics from the Late Bronze Age during their excavations, per the source.

The ship was carrying cargo including copper and tin ingots, as well as pottery and items of luxury such as carved ivory containers and jewelry made of gold and semi-precious stones, according to the INA.

There has been extensive research done on the Uluburun shipwreck relics. Additionally, there was a more recent excavation of another Bronze Age shipwreck off of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast in 2019. The picture above is of divers involved in the Kumluca Bronze Age Wreck excavation. (Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Much of the jewelry found at the site were Egyptian pieces, such as a gold disk shaped pendant, faience beads, ostrich eggshell beads, silver bracelets and more, according to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology’s website.

Other objects that were aboard the ship included elephant tusks, plus weapons, galley wares, balance weights and musical instruments, per the INA.

There were 24 stone anchors that were also found, with just a small amount of the damaged hull remaining of the ship made of cedar wood, according to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

The Uluburun shipwreck is one that has been extensively studied by archaeologists and researchers, as well as explored by tourists at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Turkey.