KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) — For the first time, the world will get to see the treasures salvaged from 10 ships, which sank in the 14th to the 16th centuries as well as the 19th century, at the Malaysian Archaeological Ex-hibition at Muzium Negara starting Nov 15.
Museums and Antiquities Department Director-General Datuk Kamarul Baharin Buyong said today the ships in-volved included the Risdam, Nassau, Diana, Flor De La Mar, Nan Hai and Desaru.
The year-long exhibition would give a full chonology of the ceramics recovered from the ships, he told a media conference here.
He said research on the ships which sank in 1370, 1380, 1400, 1460, 1540 and 1550 had shed new light on the ce-ramic trade in Southeast Asia in the pre-colonial era.
He said ships that sank in the 17th to 19th centuries did not carry a lot of procelain but data and artefacts salvaged were important in understanding more about the trade route in the region then.
Kamarul hoped that the exhibition would stoke the interest of both the locals and foreigners in archaeology.
On the discovery of a 19th century ship south of Desaru in May, he said the artecacts in the ship would be recorded this year and next, after which the ship would be raised from its resting place 20m under the sea.
He said the significance of this discovery by Nanhai Marine Archaeology Sdn Bhd would be investigated and mapped together by museum personnel, which would provide a platform for transfer of technology in maritime arc-haeology, a fairly new venture in Malaysia.
He said the department had taken several measures to ensure the safety and authenticity of this shipwreck and the site would be proposed to be declared an archaeological site and any unauthorised diving activities would be prohibited.
Nanhai Marine Archaeology Sdn Bhd managing director Sten Sjostrand said the ceramics on board the ship were mainly Chinese blue and white porcelain, made for the Southest Asian markets.
The ship’s location in the deep muddy bottom had protected and kept the pottery in pristine condition despite its age, he said.
The ceramic samples recovered so far included blue and white porcelain dishes and plates from the Jingdezhen kilns in China, famous for fine quality porcelain.
Other valuable objects salvaged are teapots from the Yixing, which is known for the manufacture of the best quality teapots until today. The stamp in the base of some Yixing teapots indicate a manufacturing period of 1821-1850.
There are also pots made during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
So far about 645 pieces of ceramic have been taken out from the surface of the ship since early June.
“A piece of hull plank taken from the ship, which is about 30m in length and 7m in width, shows that it was made from cedar and pine (that does not grow in Southeast Asia) indicating that the ship was built in China,” Sjostrand said.
He said that as no similar ship from this period had ever been reported, the ship’s remains and construction details were of the greatest importance for charting shipbuilding techniques prevailing in Asia around the 19th century. $137:Newswire