Shipwrecks Research Paper

Notable Shipwrecks and their Respective Goods in Southeast Asia Asister, Reven Dacut, Carl Mark Javier, Bryle Felix Pinos, Cleomarie Temelo, Jessa Submitted to: Alfie Anthony N. Neodama As ancient people began to develop civilizations, or urban settlements with complex ways of life, extensive trade routes formed and connected communities throughout the world (Rodrigue, ‎Comtois, ‎and Slack, 2013). Rivers, seas and oceans became essential water highways of trade and travel in the ancient world (Goucher, LeGuin, and Walton 1998). By exploring shipwrecks of the world, people learn more about the culture and history of the people who lived there. Certain goods, trade routes, artifacts, and shipbuilding techniques discovered have been linked to the traditions of the ancient civilizations (National Geographic Channel, 2013). Shipwrecks are the remains of ships that have been wrecked and can be found either beached on land or sunken at the bottom of the sea or even rivers and lakes. Shipwrecks in the early days were often caused by navigation errors due to the lack of modern navigation tools such as lighthouses, channel markers and detailed maps of the coast (Burt, 2014). Notable causes of shipwrecks are stormy weather and collisions with other ships or rocky reefs. Some ships are deliberately sunken when they are no longer in use, forming “ship graveyards” with other ships (Richard, 2010).

The cargo and position suggest that the ship was heading from Ayudhya to Java or Sumatra. Radiocarbon dating of the timber gave a wide date range of AD 1320-1460. Four pieces of Chinese blue-and-white ware found in a hidden compartment next to the keel were similar to others which have been dated to the Jingtai/Tienshun years of the Interregnum period, 1450- 1564, and the style of the Thai ceramics also points to a date in the mid 15th century. The Royal Nanhai is therefore about the same age as the Pandanan wreck, found in the Philippines in 1993. Besides Si-Satchanalai celadon and black-glazed storage jars, and various Chinese blackish brown glazed jars, a variety of utilitarian earthenware, probably used by the crew, was recovered. The hidden compartment contained exquisite items: a carved ivory sword handle (with traces of the vanished blade originally visible on the seabed), a cylindrical lacquer box and cover incised with floral designs, and an elephant-shaped bronze seal with a moon-hare