2,100-year-old luxury tableware unearthed from ancient shipwreck off Türkiye

Archaeologists have recovered thousands of ceramic artifacts, including 122 different forms and sizes of plates, bowls and trays, 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 off Adrasan in Antalya province, has uncovered the remains of a cargo ship carrying ceramic tableware from the ancient Mediterranean world.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in a social media post that the artifacts offer a glimpse 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.

"The 122 different forms and sizes of plates, bowls and trays reveal the luxury dining culture of the period," he said.

The main cargo consists of plates and bowls believed to have originated from the ancient settlement of Rhosus, in what is now Arsuz district in southern Türkiye's Hatay province.

The finds include plates for nuts, soup bowls, fish plates and trays of various sizes.

The ministry said such products were particularly sought after in Rome and were among the luxury tableware traded across the Mediterranean.

Amphorae believed to have been produced on some Aegean islands were also found at the wreck, indicating that the ship carried goods from different production centers.