SHOTLIST ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE (APRIL 22, 2025) (ANADOLU ACCESS ALL) 1. DIVERS EXCAVATING SEABED TO PULL SEALED AMPHORA (2 SHOTS) 2. VARIOUS OF SEALED AMPHORA ON SEABED 3. AMPHORA IN LABORATORY (2 SHOTS) 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROFESSOR HAKAN ONIZ SAYING: “This trade ship stopped at several ports. It was during the 9th and 10th centuries, during the Abbasid and Islamic rule. Looking at the amphoras on the ship that possibly contained wine, we do not think the people of Palestine consumed wine, but it might have been goods sent as gifts to migrants, Christian pilgrims, or visitors to Jerusalem.” 5. WHITE FLASH 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROFESSOR HAKAN ONIZ SAYING: “It could contain olive pits, olive oil, wine, or fish sauce, but it might also be something entirely different.” 7. WHITE FLASH 8. SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROFESSOR HAKAN ONIZ SAYING: “A sealed amphora is very very rare in the World. We've waited until now. The time has come to open it, and we're all really excited." 9. VARIOUS OF RESTORER RABIA NUR AKYUZ WORKING AMPHORA AND OPENING THE LID OF IT, USING TOOLS AS OTHERS HELP HER 10. VARIOUS OF RABIA NUR AKYUZ TAKING MUD-LIKE SAMPLE FROM MATERIAL INSIDE MAPHORA 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROFESSOR MELTEM ASILTURK ERSOY SAYING: "During the 1,100 years in the sea environment, we will try to understand what has happened under pressure and temperature changes. Scientific studies require multiple analyses to corroborate each other. So, this process will take a long time. We will combine the results of the analysis with information from that period and present the results to the world of science and archaeology." 12. MUD-LIKE SAMPLE BEING TAKEN OUT OF AMPHORA 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) RESTORER RABIA NUR AKYUZ SAYING: “We use chisels and hammers here. However, the amphora must remain constantly wet during the process to prevent the formations on it from drying out.” 14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR HAKAN ONIZ SAYING: “In the frame of the Future for Heritage project of the Ministry of Culture of Türkiye, we have started excavation in 2024 and the shipwreck is at 45-50 meters deep and contains amphoras from Gaza region and the main cargo of the shipwreck is olive oil but we have found several different amphoras and probably they contain wine. What is important for us, we have found one unopened amphora in the shipwreck. So it is very rare in the world, we don't know what is inside and our aim is to open this amphora and try to analyze what is inside.” 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR HAKAN ONIZ SAYING: “After the process by the restorer and conservator of the laboratory, we could open the amphora and then we could collect some part of what is inside and then we will try to analyze it and opening process is also very exciting. But now we have to wait for the analyzing process to understand what exactly inside of the amphora.” ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE - APRIL 22: A 1,100-year-old sealed amphora was discovered in a shipwreck off the coast of Kas, Antalya during an underwater excavation using robotic technology, officials said. The excavation was led by Associate Professor Hakan Oniz of Akdeniz University under the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s "Heritage for the Future Project," with a 20-member diving team operating on behalf of the Antalya Museum. After meticulous work, the team retrieved the sealed amphora from a depth of about 45 to 50 meters. Before bringing it ashore, the amphora was carefully processed and transported to Akdeniz University’s Underwater Archaeology Laboratory. Experts examined it under microscopes and used precision tools to open the sealed mouth, a process that took about an hour. Samples were collected from inside the amphora, and experts examined its texture, contents, and scent to help identify what was stored inside. Anadolu filmed the retrieval and opening of the amphora. Oniz said the ship, believed to have sailed from Gaza about 1,100 years ago, likely sank off the Mediterranean coast during a storm. - Rare global find Oniz told Anadolu that olive oil was Gaza’s primary export at the time, while wine was produced in Tekirdag in northwestern Türkiye. "This trade ship stopped at several ports. It was during the 9th and 10th centuries, during the Abbasid and Islamic rule. Looking at the amphoras on the ship that possibly contained wine, we do not think the people of Palestine consumed wine, but it might have been goods sent as gifts to migrants, Christian pilgrims, or visitors to Jerusalem," he said. Oniz said sealed amphoras surviving for over 1,000 years are extremely rare. “It is really an exciting process because it is a sealed amphora. After 1,100 years, its mouth was opened, and what’s inside will be determined after the analysis process. The opening was thrilling, but waiting for the result is even more exciting," he said. - Long analysis ahead Professor Meltem Asilturk Ersoy of Akdeniz University said this was the first time in her career that she would examine the contents of a sealed amphora. Describing the samples as clay-like, Ersoy said, "During the 1,100 years in the sea environment, we will try to understand what has happened under pressure and temperature changes. Scientific studies require multiple analyses to corroborate each other. So, this process will take a long time. We will combine the results of the analysis with information from that period and present the results to the world of science and archaeology." Rabia Nur Akyuz, a restorer-conservator who carried out the desalination and opening of the amphora’s lid, said the team kept the amphora constantly wet during the process to prevent the formations on it from drying out.