Quang Ngai sea area used to be located on the international maritime trade route, and has a complex climate, so merchant ships passing through here are easily sunk by storms and waves, according to Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi.
Most recently, in mid-May, border guards seized 40 ancient bowls and plates dating back 600 years, found by fishermen at a depth of 60 meters in the Binh Son sea area. The provincial government is planning to search for and salvage the sunken ship.
Responding to VnExpress , Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi, Deputy Director of Quang Ngai Provincial Museum, said that the salvage and study of the sunken ship with its artifacts will shed light on the history of international shipping and the "silk road on the sea" that passed through the locality. Mr. Khoi has more than 20 years of research on sunken ancient ships.
Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi during the salvage of the Binh Chau 1 shipwreck in 2013. Photo: An Hoa
- How has the discovery and salvage of ancient shipwrecks in Quang Ngai sea been going recently?
- In 1990, based on information from local people, we surveyed the north of Ly Son island and discovered an ancient sunken ship. On that ship, local people brought two stone unicorns and some ballast stones, which are heavy objects to keep the ship and boat balanced when not carrying goods. In this sea area, we found among the sand and coral broken ceramics and coins dating from the late Ming Dynasty.
Nine years later, a 19-meter-long ancient ship was found at a depth of more than 6 meters in Chau Tan sea, Chau Me village, Binh Chau commune, Binh Son district. The ship was carrying goods including ceramics, bronze, stone, and cinnamon powder in lead boxes. The recovered relics of the sunken ancient ship included 475 artifacts, including many coins, bronze, and ceramics, some of which were burned black. The age of the ancient ship was determined based on two Van Lich Thong Bao coins dating from around 1573-1620.
In 2012, fishermen from Chau Thuan Bien village, Binh Chau commune, discovered ceramics in a sunken ancient ship. Excavations later showed that the ship had burned before sinking, and inside were Yuan Dynasty coins, the latest of which dated from 1264-1295. The ceramics on the ship were celadon from the Long Tuyen kiln in the 13th century and brown glazed ceramics from the Fujian kilns.
Also in Chau Thuan Bien village, an ancient shipwreck was discovered in 2014, but has not yet been excavated. The broken artifacts include bowls, plates, and plates dating back to the early 17th century.
Location of ancient shipwrecks discovered in Quang Ngai. Graphics: Pham Linh
In 2017, in Tuyet Diem village, Binh Thuan commune, Binh Son district, an ancient shipwreck was discovered in Hao Hung port (Dung Quat Economic Zone), dating from the 17th century, during the Ming Dynasty.
Most recently, on May 17, the provincial Border Guard discovered fishermen exploiting 40 plates and bowls from an ancient shipwreck in Phuoc Thien village, Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district. These ceramic items were produced in kilns in Chuong Chau, Duc Hoa, and Canh Duc Tran, dating back to the 16th-17th centuries during the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, there are many other ancient shipwrecks that fishermen have secretly exploited in the past without government supervision and management. According to published data, the Quang Ngai sea area has the most ancient shipwrecks discovered in the country.
- Why do many ancient ships sink in Quang Ngai and concentrate in Binh Chau sea area?
- Previously, the sea area along the S-shaped strip of land was located on the international maritime trade route, the most famous of which was the "silk road on the sea". Quang Ngai alone has a coastline of 130 km but has four seaports. These ports were the landing points for merchant ships from South China going down to the East Sea, which at that time was the sea of Giao Chi and Champa, to exchange goods, get fresh water and food, and then continue south.
The sea area of Binh Chau commune, Binh Son district, has the highest concentration of ancient wrecks because this place used to be a bustling trading port and an anchorage for ships. This is shown in Phu Bien Tap Luc by Le Quy Don, which records that the Sa Ky area (Binh Chau) had a very high tax rate, at times higher than Hoi An (Quang Nam) and Thi Nai (Binh Dinh). The book Dong Khanh Dia Du Chi also mentions the Tau Uc area (Vung Tau) in Binh Chau commune.
According to my research, the formation of this commercial port was due to the fact that small merchant ships often traveled close to shore and could not pass Ba Lang An Cape (a cape jutting out into the sea, the easternmost point of Quang Ngai province) and the clusters of reefs and rocks in the area. Therefore, to the north of Ba Lang An Cape, the Cham people opened an inland waterway based on the ancient river that existed before the time of the Sa Huynh culture residents.
Ancient coins, including copper coins about 1,300 years old, were found on a shipwreck in Quang Ngai. Photo: Pham Linh
The above-mentioned waterway from Ban Thu estuary of Binh Chau region goes to Trang Quynh which is a very large lake, then connects Chau Me river to Sa Ky estuary. From here, merchant ships take fresh water to continue to the south or trade and exchange goods at Binh Chau, Sa Ky, Chau Sa, Cua Dai points. The Cham people have established a control rampart and created an important source of income on this inland waterway.
During the monsoon season, merchant ships were exposed to opposing air currents blowing in from the sea and out from the shore, making them susceptible to sinking. Some ships caught fire due to the large amount of flammable materials they contained, especially silk.
- The Maritime Silk Road is often mentioned in studies of ancient Vietnamese ships. Could you elaborate on the formation and development of this maritime route?
- The Maritime Silk Road paralleled the Silk Road on land, connecting trade between Southeast Asia, China, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia, Egypt and Europe. These sea routes were formed from the 2nd century BC and were most developed in the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The Maritime Silk Road was mainly established and operated by Austronesian sailors, Tamil traders in India and Southeast Asia, Persian and Arab traders.
Vietnam actively participated in this Silk Road not only with ports for ships to anchor and trade but also in the production of goods, especially ceramics. A typical example is Chu Dau ceramics from the 15th century, originating from Hai Duong province, found in the ancient shipwreck of Cu Lao Cham. In particular, on the ancient shipwreck of Chau Tan in 1999, many lead boxes containing cinnamon powder from Tra Bong (Quang Ngai), Tra My (Quang Nam) were found, exported through Cua Dai of Hoi An, Sa Can port of Quang Ngai to trade with international maritime routes.
The ancient shipwreck of Binh Chau 1 was excavated in 2013. Photo: Doan Ngoc Khoi
- How has the salvage of shipwrecks and antiques been in the province recently?
- Previously, the artifacts were exploited spontaneously by the people. Then, the Quang Ngai Provincial Museum and the National History Museum coordinated with the authorities to organize the excavation. Since 2012, when the Binh Chau ancient shipwreck was discovered, the excavation has involved private individuals, who provided funding, mining technology and divided the artifacts, while the rest was kept for the state. However, up to now, archaeologists have only exploited artifacts in the ship and have not salvaged the shipwreck.
- How to effectively promote and avoid losing salvaged artifacts?
- In recent years, many people have salvaged antiques to sell for personal gain. This is against the law because they must be handed over to state agencies.
In order to effectively manage the exploration, salvage and disposal of sunken assets, the Government has issued Decree 29 stipulating the level of rewards for organizations and individuals who discover and hand over antiques. This is to encourage fishermen to report their discoveries of sunken ancient ships to the management agency.
In addition, Decree 86 also clearly stated the state's policy on building and developing underwater archaeology in Vietnam; building museums to introduce underwater cultural heritage.
The ancient shipwrecks in Quang Ngai and other coastal areas of Vietnam prove a prosperous history of trade. I think the government can establish a museum of ancient shipwrecks including antiques, goods on board and the remains of ancient ships sunk in Quang Ngai coastal areas such as Binh Chau, Binh Hai, Binh Thuan...
We can organize tours in person or online, from which lessons on geography and history related to shipwrecks can be given. The government can organize diving tours at ancient shipwrecks near the shore such as Binh Chau to promote tourism.
Pham Linh
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