Nautical News from Asia

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.

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.

Japan’s Oldest Paddle Discovered の詳細は »

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)

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

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

BEIJING, June 14 — Ten divers began a seven-day search for a possible underwater “Atlantis” on Friday in the Fuxian Lake near Kunming, the second-deepest freshwater pool in the country.

Local diver Geng Wei first told of a large ancient city in the lake eight years ago, thought to span 2.4 square kilometres. Geng claimed to have seen lots of square boulders more than 1.4 square metres in size, either piled or scattered deep underwater.

In 2001, the local government launched the first large exploration of the lake, which was broadcast live across the nation by China Central Television (CCTV).

A submarine was sent down and detected a 60-metre-long stone wall. Divers unearthed a shard of pottery embedded in the stone wall, which was found to date back to the Han Dynasty (104 BC-220 AD).

The evidence convinced Chinese archaeologists that there might be some constructions under the lake, possibly more than 1,800 years old.

This hypothesis was substantiated on Friday in the first dive, when Geng was videotaped finding three notches, each 1.2 metres long and 45 centimetres wide, on a moss-covered square slate.

The “IY”-shaped notches must have been artificial, and “support the idea that all the stones were once processed by humans,” said Li Kunsheng, director of the Archaeology Research Centre of Yunnan University.

But Liu Qingzhu, director of the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, added: “We still have not enough information to verify that these slates made up a city. Even the shard and shell cannot represent the exact date of the rocks.”

After Geng announced his discovery eight years ago, more claims were made of underwater finds in the lake, which boasts a water surface of 212 square kilometres and an average depth of 87 metres. They include a slate path, an arena-like building and a small pyramid.

However, Liu, who was present during two underwater excavations, said no pictures or evidence about the above “findings” had ever been provided by these people.

Despite this, experts have engaged in a prolonged debate over whether these slates are relics of a documented city that mysteriously disappeared.

The history books show that the city of Yuyuan to the north of the Fuxian Lake once existed, but it disappeared from records after the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589).

Li said the lake is situated on an earthquake-intense belt, which might suggest that the underwater construction may have sunken in rising waves during a quake.

Dissenters argue that the stone structure is contrary to buildings of this era, which were made of bamboo, wood or mud.

Liu said that while all the answers to this underwater mystery will not be found in seven days, “we’ll try to outline a layout map of what is beneath, and do more in the future.”

(Source: China Daily)

Editor: Lin Li

I found the English page regarding this news.

In Nara prefecture of Japan, A.D. 4th century ceremonial boat was discovered. This boat probably carried noble to his grave. The surface of the wood is stained and a motif is carved. It is 2.1 m in length, 0.78 m in width, and 0.25 m in thickness. In China, it is known that dead were carried on boat. It is believed that this boat finished its mission and discarded at the side of the tomb.

Such a find in rare in Japan, and this artifact should be analyzed fully by trained nautical/boat archaeologist to fully understand the real significant.

Ancient Ceremonial Boat Discovered in Japan の詳細は »

Shozo Tanabe, who has been the leading professor in Archaeology in Japan that started the first government funded and well organized underwater archaeology project overseas, has died at the age of 72. He is credited as the first underwater archaeologist in Japan for he has directed excavation off the coast of Syria. Although his involvement in underwater/nautical archaeology is not well known among Japanese public, he has been in a public eye as one of the leading archaologists in Japan. His contribution to the study of underwater archaeology will be remembered by many of his colleagues in Asia. Perhaps, his death may bring a new interest to this field in Japan.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is gearing up to transport more than 76,000 antiques to Amsterdam for auction at Sotheby’s.

According to director of Ca Mau Historical Museum, Le Cong Uan, the antiques were salvaged in 1998 from the shipwreck of a vessel that is believed to have sunk in the early 18th century off Ca Mau’s southern coast.

Chinaware plates, tea-cups, boxes and statues are included in the items to be sold off.

“The Government has allowed us to sell the antiques at an international auction, but there are still a number of customs procedures to be completed before we can ship them,” Uan said.

Salvaging the antiques from the shipwreck cost about VND16 billion (US$1 million), of which VND14 billion came from the State budget.

Sotheby’s will cover all the costs of the auction but it will take 20 per cent of the revenue from the sales.

Some of the antiques have been kept by the Viet Nam Historical Museum, Viet Nam Fine Art Museum in Ha Noi, and historical museums in HCM City and Ca Mau . — VNS

Exhibition on traditional Brunei boats opens

By Achong Tanjong

A “Traversing the Blue” exhibition, organised by Brunei Museums Department, was officially launched yesterday by Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Yakub bin Abu Bakar.
The launch was held at the Malay Technology Museum in Kota Batu.

Also present at the launching ceremony were Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Awg Haji Jemat bin Haji Ampal, Director of Museums, Haji Matassim bin Haji Jibah, Deputy Director of Museum, Awg Bantong Antaran, and senior officers from Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as well as departments under it.

The exhibition on boats aims to highlight Brunei’s past maritime industry, especially shipping related activities in line with national development.

Archaeology Officer and exhibition chairman, Awg Matzin bin Haji Yahya, said the exhibition also aims to provide an overview and pictures on local sailing traditions that are slowly being forgotten in the modern era.

He said the exhibition is part of Brunei Museums Department’s efforts to reintroduce various types of traditional boats, used mainly in the past that are not in use anymore these days.

The exhibition showcases 30 model boats and five life-size boats including the Tongkang, Pengabat, Pelauk, Bagong, Pedayong, Kumpit and Bidar Temuai. Also on show are materials used to make the boats such as ulak-ulak, ragum, pembahas, sapit-sapit, gigis and cecatuk. Boat remains from the Limau Manis River archaeological site are also on display.

Awg Matzin said, “In Brunei Darussalam, early traditional water transportation consisted of stems and bamboo boats such as Gaman and Rakit, while Gubang and Jompong boats were made by digging the centre of large logs using an axe and adze. The boats were used mainly along rivers, expect for the Gaman, which was used at sea.”

He hoped that through the exhibition, public members especially students could understand the national heritage, history, economy, and social culture of sailing-related activities, while increasing their understanding on the uniqueness and skills of boat and ship making in the country.

The Archaeology Officer said the exhibition is part of early preparations for a permanent exhibition to be held by the department when construction of the Maritime Museum Building is complete. Construction works will start soon, he added.

The exhibition coincided with the launching of the book, “The Boats of Brunei Darussalam”, written by the chief guest.

The exhibition, to be held from January 26 till May 31, is open to the public from Saturday to Thursday between 9am and 5pm and on Friday between 9am and 11.30am and from 2.30pm till 5pm.

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