We conducted archaeological and geophysical surveys in order to investigate the submergence of ancient constructions along the coast at Kekova Island in southern Turkey. Submerged archaeological remains were measured with respect to present sea level, and geological features that may have caused subsidence were determined by seismic investigation. We estimated relative sea‐level change taking into account presumed original elevation of constructions associated with the harbor at the time of occupation and compared our results with eustatic–isostatic sea‐level studies in the Mediterranean. Ceramics found along the submerged quay of Kekova Island provided evidence for the time of last use of the harbor structures and suggest that submergence began during the early Byzantine period. Considering relative sea‐level changes, eustatic–isostatic effects, and the period of submergence, we estimate a rate of coastal tectonic subsidence of at least 1.6 mm/yr over the last 1400 years.

We investigated three coastal archaeological sites along the coast of Fethiye (south‐western Turkey, eastern Mediterranean) to reveal relative sea‐level changes that have occurred since early Byzantine times. Focusing on this little known period, the most recent archaeological data are presented here, providing new data for the history of sea‐level changes. Current elevations of submerged archaeological remains relative to present sea level were measured, and relative sea‐level change was determined, based on an approximation of the original elevation. The contemporary archaeological structures revealed three different sea levels in adjacent areas. Taking into account the time of the last use of the structures, instead of their time of construction, we suggest a relative sea‐level rise at a minimum rate of 1.6 ± 0.3 mm/year for Şövalye Island, 2.1 ± 0.3 mm/year for Gemiler Island, and 2.2 ± 0.6 mm/year for Ölüdeniz Lagoon for the last 1400 years. A comparison of the study results and geoarchaeological data from nearby sites on the western coasts of Fethiye Gulf revealed the degree of sea‐level change impact upon coastal archaeological sites. Results demonstrate that the seismically active Fethiye coast has been strongly influenced by the vertical tectonic movement since early Byzantine times.

During its annual surveys of the Turkish coast in the 1970s and 1980s, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology discovered two early Archaic (7th-to early-6th-century BC) shipwrecks at Kekova Adası (Antalya region) and Kepçe Burnu (Mugla region); Dokuz Eylül University's Institute of Marine Science and Technology is currently involved in survey of the region. The wrecks, marked by a primary cargo of basket-handle amphoras, indicate exchange between Cyprus and the cities of coastal Asia Minor and Corinth. Such Iron Age internationalism may have been driven by an interest in processed agricultural goods such as olive oil.

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A recent discovery of a Bronze Age harbor site in Çamçalık provides new data for the relative sea level history along the coast of the Bozburun Peninsula over the last 3600 years. In this study, we compared the new and previously published data from nearby sites to determine the long-term relative sea level changes. Further comparison of the observed sea level data and newly produced glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models clarified the tectonic contribution to the relative sea level changes. Our results suggest a nonlinear tectonic subsidence trend in the coastal zone since 3600 B.P. The increase in the relative sea level accelerated over the last 1400 years, mostly due to the seismic events controlled by the tectonic regime of the southeastern Aegean Sea. We can conclude that, as in the past, this active tectonic process will have a major impact on the future sea level evolution of the coastal sector of the Bozburun Peninsula. Notably, our study can be used to understand the historical trend of sea level rise while providing a foundation for future trend prediction.