Belitung Wreck | Maritimeexplorations

Belitung (Tang) Wreck

(c.826)

Background

The Belitung Wreck (also known as the Tang or Batu Hitam Wreck) was found by fishermen off the Indonesian Island of Belitung in 1998. The German group, Seabed Explorations, purchased the location from the fishermen and began excavation under license in the latter part of the same year. Mike Flecker directed the second excavation season in 1999. At the time, the Belitung Wreck was the only example of an ancient Arab ship ever found. The extensive hull remains were stitched together. The wreck has been confidently dated to the early 9th century from the inscribed date on a bowl, supported by carbon dating. Its location in Indonesian waters, and its cargo of Chinese ceramics, provide archaeological evidence for direct trade between the Western Indian Ocean and China in the first millennium.

Spread

As the wreck site was close to shore, a modified fishing boat was used as a work platform, with recovered artefacts being transferred to conservation and storage facilities on land each day. Hooka with in-water decompression was selected as the diving system for this shallow site, and water dredges were used for excavation.

Recovered Cargo

The cargo consisted almost entirely of Chinese Changsha ceramics in a variety of forms. Many bowls were packed in large Dusun-type jars. There were also greenware and whiteware ceramics of high quality, and some very early examples of blue-and-white. Intricately worked gold and silver-ware formed part of the non-ceramic cargo, perhaps a tribute gift for the rulers of the destination port.

More Details

· The Belitung Wreck was found by sea-cucumber divers one nautical mile off the coast of the Island of Belitung, Indonesia. It was only 17 m deep. A series of coral reefs a little further offshore appear to have been the cause of the loss.

· A remarkably large section of the ship's hull survived. The hull planks were stitched together, and light frames were lashed to the hull. A keelson, stringers, ceiling planks, and thwart beams, all remained in place. Many timber samples were analysed. Without doubt, the ship is of Middle-Eastern construction. The Belitung Wreck is the first Arab ship to be found in Asia, and the first and only in the world with a complete cargo.

· A bowl from the wreck is inscribed with a date equivalent to 826 AD. Carbon 14 analysis confirms the early 9th century provenance.

· The majority of the surviving cargo consisted of ceramics from the Changsha kilns of China, primarily bowls and ewers, but also a smattering of figurines, jarlets, and other oddities. Many of the bowls were originally packed in straw cylinders and stowed directly in the hold. Many others were hectically stacked inside large 'Dusun'-type storage jars, with up to 140 per jar.

· Perhaps overshadowing the Changsha ware is a selection of imperial quality ceramics; white-ware from the famous Ding kilns, Yue-ware from Zhejiang Province, and the earliest known intact underglaze blue-and-white dishes.

· Even the imperial ceramics are overshadowed by intricately decorated gold dishes and a cup, augmented by gilt-silver covered boxes and a large ewer, all beautifully decorated with animals and vegetation, many following Islamic themes.

· The discovery of such high value items in a shipwreck context is extremely unusual. Ships normally carried trade goods. These could certainly be of a high standard, but not of imperial quality. It would seem the Belitung ship carried a tribute gift along with its main cargo. These prized items may well have been destined for a Middle-Eastern caliph.

· Much can also be learnt from the less valuable items on board, such as Indonesian scales weights, aromatic resin, gongs, an inkstone, a glass bottle, grindstones, and lacquer-ware. None of these items is definitively Middle-Eastern. The Belitung ship may well have been at least partially crewed by Southeast Asians. She may well have called in at a Srivijayan port.

· The Belitung Wreck is the first archaeological evidence to suggest that Arabs traded directly with China during the first millennium. Therefore they followed the longest sea route of that era, not to be surpassed until the Portuguese ventured into Asia in the late 15th century.

Cargo Disposition

The complete collection, some 60,000 pieces, has been purchased by the Singapore Government, largely through private funding. A large part of the cargo is on permanent display at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Publications

1. A 9th-Century Arab or Indian Shipwreck in Indonesian Waters, Flecker, M., International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Volume 29(2), 2000.

2. A 9th Century AD Arab or Indian Shipwreck in Indonesia: First Evidence for Direct Trade with China, Flecker, M., World Archaeology, Volume 32(3), 2001.

3. Tang Treasures from the Sea: An Arab Shipwreck in Indonesian Waters, Flecker, M., Heritage Asia Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 4, June - August 2005.

4. A 9th-Century Arab or Indian Shipwreck in Indonesian Waters: Addendum, Flecker, M., International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Volume 37(2), 2008.

5. A 9th-Century Arab Shipwreck in Indonesian Waters, Flecker, M. in Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, edited by Regina Krahl et al., Smithsonian Institution, 2010.

6. The Origin of the Tang Shipwreck: A Look at its Archaeology and History, Flecker, M., in The Tang Shipwreck: Art and Exchange in the 9th Century, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, 2017.