The amazing discovery of a 3,600-year-old dagger under the waters of Türkiye

Underwater archaeologists from Akdeniz University have discovered a 3,600-year-old bronze dagger with silver rivets off the coast of Kumluj Municipality in Turkey.

Since 2019, an excavation project led by Dr. Hakan Oniz from Akdeniz University Faculty of Fine Arts has been exploring the seabed off the coast of Kumluj in the southern province of Antalya, Turkey.

The project has found a shipwreck at a depth of 50 meters carrying a cargo of pillow-like copper ingots, possibly originating from the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus.

Recently, researchers have discovered a bronze dagger with silver rivets at the site of the shipwreck, which is associated with the Minoan-Cretan civilization.Cretan-Minoan”a Bronze Age culture that developed on the island of CreteCrete” It is focused and relevant.

The Minoan civilization emerged from the local Neolithic culture around 3100 BC, and the development of complex urban settlements began around 2000 BC. Around 1450 BC, the Minoans were culturally and politically influenced by the Mycenaean Greeks, leading to the creation of a hybrid culture that lasted until around 1100 BC.

The Minoans became known as a major naval power in the eastern Mediterranean and established extensive trade networks with Egypt, the Levant, Anatolia, Cyprus, and mainland Greece.

According to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, a bronze dagger with silver rivets belonging to the Minoan-Cretan civilization was discovered in underwater excavations off the coast of Antalya’s Kumlujah district. This shipwreck is one of the most important discoveries not only in Türkiye, but also in the underwater archeology of the world.

Archaeologists believe that the dagger’s association with the Minoan-Cretan civilization offers new insights into historical trade routes and cultural exchanges in the Mediterranean.