Two wrecks containing ceramics possibly dating from the 14th century and other objects have been discovered off Singapore, said the archaeologists who studied them on Wednesday.
An exceptional testimony to the maritime past of this island city-state.
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The wrecks were spotted in 2015 off Pedra Branca, a rock outcrop east of Singapore, according to the National Heritage Council and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, who worked together on the finds. The study and recovery of items found on board were completed this year. The first, located after divers accidentally spotted ceramic plates, carried Chinese ceramics possibly dating back to the 14th century, when Singapore was known as Tumasik.
Some objects are similar to those extracted from terrestrial archaeological sites, showing that Singapore was a hub of maritime trade long before the arrival of the British colonizers in 1819. Underwater excavations carried out on the first wreck led to the discovery of the second, which could be the
Shah Munchah,
a merchant ship built in India that sank in 1796 while returning from China.
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On board were inventoried Chinese ceramics, glass and agate objects, but also anchors and cannons. Guns of this type were used on the merchant ships of the British East India Company, which allowed the expansion of the British Empire in Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries, the researchers said.
The vessel spotted in 2015 is the oldest wreck found in Singapore waters. It carried
"more blue and white porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty era than any other documented wreck in the world,"
said Michael Flecker, visiting scholar working with the archeology department at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute .
"Many of these pieces are rare, and one seems to be unique,"
he enthusiastically. The Yuan Dynasty ruled China during the 13th and 14th centuries. Most of the cargo aboard the second wreck was destined for England, according to Flecker.