An archaeological team has unearthed approximately 1,100-year-old glass perfume bottles off the coast of Kaş in Antalya, Turkey. These artifacts were recovered from the remains of a merchant vessel that navigated the Eastern Mediterranean. The discovery was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Öniz, who heads the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at Akdeniz University's Faculty of Fine Arts.
The recovered glass vessels, estimated to be from the 10th or 11th century, were recently presented to the public at the International Archaeology Symposium and The Golden Age of Archaeology Exhibition at the Presidential Library. Dr. Öniz emphasized Turkey's significant role and deep roots in underwater archaeology. Since 2018, Akdeniz University's underwater archaeology efforts, under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's permission, have identified 411 shipwrecks, including the Kumluca Middle Bronze Age Shipwreck, recognized as the world's oldest at 3,600 years old. The perfume bottles, each measuring about 6-7 centimeters in height, likely held luxury scents such as rose oil, musk, or amber, popular commodities in the Levant and Egypt during the Abbasid period. The mold-blowing technique used in their creation is characteristic of glassworking from the Syria-Palestine region. This find highlights the historical importance of the Eastern Mediterranean as a hub for trade and cultural exchange, with perfumes and glassmaking technologies spreading from this region to Europe.