Chinese archaeologists have found more than 180,000 artefacts from an ancient merchant ship from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the State Administration of Cultural Heritage said Tuesday.
 |
| Panoramic view of Nanhai I [Credit: China Daily] |
Found in 1987 and salvaged in the South China Sea in 2007, the Nanhai (South China Sea) No.1 is now preserved at the Maritime Silk Road Museum on Hailing Island of Yangjiang, south China's Guangdong Province.
 |
| Nanhai I porcelain pieces [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
| Copper coins found in the Nanhai I [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
| Balance with counterweights recovered on Nanhai I [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
| Gold bracelets recovered on Nanhai I [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
| Gold jewellery found in the Nanhai I [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
| Nanhai I porcelain pieces [Credit: China Daily] |
 |
Jar of salted duck eggs from Nanhai I, probably part of the food for the sailors
[Credit: China Daily] |
The artefacts excavated from the shipwreck showcase the prosperous maritime trading scene in the Song Dynasty, and are significant to the research into the history of shipbuilding, ceramics, shipping and others in ancient China and the whole of the East and Southeast Asia, according to experts.
 |
Archaeologists work in the cabin of Nanhai I, which is now at the Maritime
Silk Road Museum of Guangdong [Credit: China Daily] |
It is believed that the salvage, excavation and protection of the Nanhai No.1 form an epitome of the rapid development of China's underwater archaeology over the past 30 years.
Source: Xinhua News Agency [August 11, 2019]
No comments: