水中考古学／船舶・海事史研究

Cannons from Vietnam

Five ancient cannons, and some cannon balls have just been found in Thuan An port, Thua Thien Hue province.

According to the Thua Thien-Hue Revolutionary History Museum, these five cannons and cannon balls were discovered by fishermen in Tan An village, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province.

Nguyen Huu Hoang, a member of the Vietnamese UNESCO Antique Research and Collection Club, on May 22 bought the four brass copper cannons from fishermen.

The cannons weigh 250kg each. Each cannon has designs around the top, the middle of the body and the end. The near-end part has Latin letters. Two cannons are 175cm long. The other two are 162cm in length.

According to researcher Ho Tan Phan, these cannons date back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1648 – 1687). Deputy director of the Thua Thien-Hue Revolutionary History Museum theorised that these cannons could have been on ships of French or Spanish origin which were wrecked when attacking Hue imperial city in 1883.

Japan's Oldest Paddle Discovered

The Japan's Oldest paddle has been recently discovered in Southwestern Japan (Saga prefecture) It is belived to be from Jomon period around 7000 years ago. The paddle is 1.16m, flattens at the end, with the maximum width of 4.5 cm. The local stream runs into Ariake Sea where they have collected marine resources and brought it back to the site.

It is said that people began a sedentary life style and at that people started using boat to collect resources from wide area.

S. Korea's Specialized Vessel for Maritime Archaeology

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched Asia's first vessel to survey underwater relics on Thursday giving a major boost to its marine archaeology studies that have helped explain Korea's ancient civilization and its exchange with neighboring countries.

The marine survey vessel named Seamuse went into commission for the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo on the country's southwest. It is the first of its kind in Asia, while European countries like France and Germany operate their own, the museum said.

The marine museum was upbeat that the survey vessel will drastically expand the scale of archaeological understanding in Northeast Asia.

The vessel is 19 meters long and 4.4 meters wide and can accommodate up to 13 people. It is equipped with exploration systems that can operate in deep waters, such as a side scan sonar system for searching and detecting objects underwater through photographic images made from its sound waves and remote operated vehicles that use remote controlled robots instead of divers, the museum said.

Seamuse will have its inaugural sail on Nov. 19 in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the dicovery of a sunken ancient vessel on the seabed of Sinan off the country's southeast coast which made world headlines. The ship from the latter days of the Goryeo Dynasty (918~1392) carried precious porcelains and coins that defined Korea's civilization and the sea route of trade in Northeast Asia.

hkim@yna.co.kr (END)

Korean Ship and Chinese Ship discovered in Penglai (China)

A vessel from the Korean Koryo Kingdom dating back to the 14th century is unveiled on Monday. The wooden ship, found along with a Chinese ship (below) off the sea of Penglai in China’s Shandong Province last year, is 21.7 m long and 5.2 m wide./Yonhap

Another 12th Century Shipwreck from Korea

SEOUL (Yonhap) - A massive collection of 12th-century Korean pottery has been excavated from the sea floor on South Korea’s southwest coast where a reclamation project is underway, archaeologists said Tuesday. The archaeologists from National Maritime Museum in Mokpo, South Cholla Province, said they have found 780 bluishgreen bowls and plates from the Koryo Kingdom (916~1392) near the maritime town of Kunsan, North Cholla Province.

The discovery was made some 200 meters on the inland side of an embankment newly built to hold back the sea water as part of an ongoing reclamation project to transform the tidal mud flats into land suitable for rice cultivation or construction sites.

The ancient celadon pieces were found at a depth of 7 meters and are assumed to be part of the remains of a shipwreck, they said. There were also piles of as many as 40 bowls stacked together, they said.

The bluish green earthenware, called Koryo Chongja in Korean, seemed to be produced for local authorities and middle-class households, rather than aristocrats, as they were made from lower-grade clays and subject to a rougher firing process, they said. Some were inlaid with lotus flower patterns.

The museum started the excavation in late April after people were reported to have illegally taken the ceramics from the area last year.

Archaeologists are concerned that the reclamation area around Kunsan, called Saemangeum, may be a vast reserve of ancient relics, as celadon pieces from the 11th to 13th century have been uncovered there in the past few years.

“The area needs archaeological surveys. There are a lot more cases of relics that resident fishermen have found and reported,” Park Ye-ree, a researcher with the national museum, said.

Many kilns were established in coastal areas on the Korean Peninsula in the Koryo era as the finished products had better access to the sea for transportation.

06-20-2006 17:38