The Aporia · ‘This is going to be different’: Meet the Sydney professor who cracked the code on the world’s oldest shipwreck

‘This is going to be different’: Meet the Sydney professor who cracked the code on the world’s oldest shipwreck

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗

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Kowal, E. (2026, October 15). ‘This is going to be different’: Meet the Sydney professor who cracked the code on the world’s oldest shipwreck. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-going-to-be-different-meet-the-sydney-professor-who-cracked-the-code-on-the-world-s-oldest-shipwreck-20261015-p615sq.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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Quick Summary

Dr Karin Sowada, an Australian archaeologist from Macquarie University, played a crucial role in identifying the world's oldest shipwreck off Turkey's southern coast, dating back 4500 to 4700 years. Despite her expertise in Egyptology and desert excavations, she joined the Turkish team led by Associate Professor Hakan Oniz for this underwater dig. Sowada’s discovery of Bronze Age ceramics on the wreck provided evidence of ancient east-west trade routes, linking Greece and Egypt. The shipwreck also contained mysterious residues inside ceramic pots, raising new questions about ancient trade goods and transportation.

Written by AI on 2026-10-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The world's oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, near Kekova Island in Antalya. Estimated to be between 4,400 and 4,700 years old (around the time of the Great Pyramid), this Early Bronze Age vessel was likely a trade ship carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. Although the wooden structure has not survived, more than 30 ceramic storage pots called amphorae and three stone anchors remain on the seabed about 30 meters underwater. The wreck's age is confirmed by analyzing the distinctive shape and decoration of the pottery. Dr. Karin Sowada from Macquarie University in Sydney played a crucial role in identifying the vessel, solving mysteries related to ancient trade routes between Greece and Egypt.

Written for “World's Oldest Shipwreck Found Off Turkey Coast” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 4% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey Same event

BBC News

Hedges 3 of 32 claims Outlet record 68/100

World’s oldest shipwreck discovered off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast Different event

Euronews

Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 60/100

“While both articles discuss the discovery of an ancient shipwreck off Turkey's Mediterranean coast, Article B focuses on Dr. Karin Sowada’s role in identifying and analyzing the artifacts rather than describing the actual event of the discovery itself.”

World’s oldest shipwreck discovered by archaeologists near Turkish island Different event

The Independent

Hedges 2 of 12 claims Outlet record 59/100

“While both articles describe the discovery of a shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, Article A focuses on the initial discovery and findings by archaeologists, whereas Article B highlights the involvement of Dr. Karin Sowada from Australia in identifying the significance of the wreck.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

61/100

The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

World

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 5986 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Emily Kowal

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 16 articles by Emily Kowal →

Topics

Akdeniz University Australian Macquarie University Sydney Turkish

Subjects

Sowada PERSON · 7× Macquarie University ORG · 2× Sydney GPE · 2× Akdeniz University ORG · 1× Antalya GPE · 1× Australian NORP · 1× Greece GPE · 1× Hakan Oniz PERSON · 1× Karin Sowada PERSON · 1× Turkish NORP · 1×

Narrative

She was invited by lead archaeologist, Associate Professor Hakan Oniz of Akdeniz University, Antalya, to assist with the expedition despite the fact Sowada, an expert in Egyptology and desert excavations, had never taken part in an underwater dig.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-15

🔮 “I don’t think it’s olive oil but it could be.

2026-10-15 · The Sydney Morning Herald

‘This is going to be different’: Meet the Sydney professor who cracked the code on the world’s oldest shipwreck · assertive framing

Claims (25 extracted, 1 hedged)

As details of the world’s oldest shipwreck rippled across the globe, the Australian archaeologist who played a pivotal role in cracking its secrets was digging in a dirt pit at a Sydney university. asserted

who → ripple → university

Dr Karin Sowada’s students watched on in awe. asserted

students → watch → awe

A leading expert on Bronze Age ceramics, the Macquarie University professor has shot to fame after helping a Turkish team identify a vessel that dates back between 4500 and 4700 years. asserted

that → lead → years

The wreck found off the southern coast of Turkey is a contemporary of the Great Pyramids of Giza. asserted

wreck → find → Giza

Sowada → invite → dig

“The moment I saw the first pottery coming up from the water I thought, ‘this is going to be different’,” Sowada said. asserted

Sowada → see → water

For Sowada, the wreck solved a mystery she had been researching since 2003: how silver from Greece ended up in Ancient Egypt. asserted

silver → solve → Egypt

“We now have evidence – actual hard evidence – that these ships were plying the east-west trade route across southern Turkey, and that is how the silver ended up in Egypt,” she said. asserted

she → have → Egypt

“This ship has, for me, delivered the missing link.” asserted

ship → deliver → link

While the ship’s wooden hull is long gone, the surviving cargo has sparked new questions. asserted

cargo → go → questions

Several ceramic pots hauled to the surface contained a viscous, glossy residue that has survived thousands of years underwater. asserted

that → haul → years

“What are the contents in these jars?” Sowada asks, buzzing with excitement. asserted

Sowada → ask → excitement

It’s a new mystery, one she cannot wait to solve. asserted

she → ’ → ?

“I don’t think it’s olive oil but it could be. uncertain

it → think → ?

“To see this residue preserved in a pot after 4½ thousand years is amazing.” asserted

residue → see → years

Sowada said that “pottery is the language of archaeology”. asserted

pottery → say → archaeology

Because most ancient sites lack written records, archaeologists use pottery’s shape, material and decoration to help date sites and trace how objects were made, used and traded. asserted

objects → lack → sites

She brings this passion to her tutorial in Sydney. asserted

She → bring → Sydney

At Macquarie University, interest in ancient history and archaeology has surged: 226 students are enrolled in the bachelor of history in 2026, up from 170 in 2025. asserted

students → surge → 2025

This is in part because of the growing employment prospects. asserted

This → grow → prospects

Many graduates go on to work at excavations sites for public infrastructure, including Sydney Metro developments. asserted

graduates → go → developments

In 2020, 62.5 per cent of archaeologists were spending at least half their working time on cultural heritage management. asserted

cent → spend → management

We are here to raise the next generation of archaeologists in Australia, both capable of working here and overseas,” Sowada said. asserted

Sowada → raise → Australia

Student Hayden Oldis described Sowada as “amazing”. asserted

Oldis → describe → Sowada

“It’s so cool to hear that a teacher we listen to basically all year, in all our lectures, be a part of something that is so global,” they said. asserted

they → ’ → something