Hundreds of years ago , a ship carrying 1000 of ceramic and lavishness goods sank off of Indonesia ’s Java coast . Its wooden hull disintegrated over the years , leave a “ treasure trove of payload ” exposed for fishermen to discover the wreckage26 meters ( 85 - feet)below sea level in the 1980s .
Over the next three decades , archaeologist have been trying to piece together the ship ’s history by studying retrieved artifact . An initial investigation in the nineties dated the wreck to the mid-13th century . However , it was n’t until recently investigator uncovered a surprising clue . re-create on the bottom of one of the ceramic pieces is autograph the eq of a “ Made in China ” sticker .
" Eight hundred years ago , someone put a label on these ceramics that essentially suppose ' Made in China ' – because of the particular space note , we ’re capable to date this wreck better , ” said the subject field ’s lead other Lisa Niziolek in astatement .
This is a ceramic loge base from the Java Sea Shipwreck , with a Chinese inscription that mentions a place , Jianning Fu , that date from advert 1162 to 1278 . ( c ) The Field Museum , cat . no . 344404 . lensman Gedi Jakovickas
The inscription indicate the ceramic pieces may have been made in a Chinese governing district constitute Jianning Fu . After the Mongols infest in 1278 , the arena was renamed Jianning Lu – a nicety that mean the wreck may have occurred earlier in the century and perhaps as betimes as 1162 .
Niziolek says it ’s unbelievable the ship would have been carrying ceramics outdated by the early Fu name .
" There were in all probability about a hundred thousand spell of ceramic onboard . It seems unbelievable a merchandiser would have pay to store those for long prior to cargo – they were probably made not long before the ship sink , " she enjoin .
The ship ’s bounty held other cue about its yesteryear as well . Along with the ceramic , the team unveil elephant ivory , probably used in medicine or fine art , and angelical - smell rosin for incense or caulking ships . Because both of these products come from living things , they contain a character of mentally ill C atom call C-14 that decompose steadily over time . scientist are able to analyse the amount of carbon leftover to date the good by room of carbon 14 dating . Previous radiocarbon dating indicated the ship was around 700 to 750 year honest-to-goodness , but new and improved proficiency pair off with analyses of the ceramic reveal the ship is 50 old age Old .
While a mere century may not seem like much time in the grand scheme of thing , it is a enceinte deal for archaeologist .
" This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade , more reliant upon oversea road than on the overland Silk Road , " said Niziolek . " The wreck occurred at a time of important transition . "
The study was published in Journal of Archaeological Science : Reports . you’re able to reckon more about the Java Sea Shipwreck at theField Museum .
