The Shinan ship (also spelled "Sinan") was a 14th-century Chinese ship that sank near what are today the Shinan islands, South Korea, around the year 1323, and was discovered in 1975. It was likely to have been part of a trade fleet between Port Ningbo, Yuan dynasty China and Port Hakata, Kamakura shogunate of Japan.[1][2]
.jpg) Remains of the Shinan ship
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Yuan China | |
| Name | Shinan ship |
| Fate | Sank c. 1323 |
| Notes | Surviving part of the ship's hull exhibited in a museum |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo ship |
| Length | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Beam | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Notes | cargo capacity ~200 tons |
| Shinan ship | |
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Sinan haejeoyumul maejanghaeyeok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sinan haejŏyumul maejanghaeyŏk |
It has been excavated during several maritime archaeological expeditions from 1976 to 1984. Its excavation has been described as "the first underwater excavation" in South Korea leading to "the advent of underwater archaeology in the history of Korean archaeology". Much of the ship's cargo survived mostly intact, and due to the overwhelming amount of Chinese treasures contained in the ship (over 28 tons of Chinese coins and over 20,000 pieces of Chinese ceramics), in the early 1990s the shipwreck was also described as possibly "the richest ancient shipwreck yet discovered".[3]
Discovery and excavation edit
On August 25, 1975, a South Korean fishing boat recovered several ceramic artifacts in its nets near the Imjado island in the Korean region of Shinan, in the Yellow Sea. The shipwreck was discovered shortly after.[3][4] Beginning from the summer of 1976, Korean archeologists, with support from the Korean Ministry of Culture and the Republic of Korea Navy launched a series of marine excavation projects in the area. The archeologists quickly located a corroded wooden hull and much of its cargo, at the depth of about 20 meters. The excavation process was made difficult due to low visibility and tidal currents in the area (which meant that on some days, the divers could work as little as 15 minutes[1]), and the series of expeditions, which took 9,800 man-days and 3,500 hours of diving time, concluded only after nearly a decade, in 1984.[3]
In 1981 the site of the shipwreck was designated as one of the Historic Sites of South Korea (No. 274).[5]
The ship edit
The ship was identified as a 14th-century Chinese vessel from the Yuan dynasty period.[3] It was likely to have been part of a trade fleet between Port Ningbo, Yuan dynasty China and Port Hakata, Kamakura shogunate of Japan.[1][2] The destination of the ship’s cargo were mostly temples and shrines in Kyoto, such as Tōfuku-ji temple, and in Hakata, such as Jōten-ji Temple. The ship’s characteristics can be summarized as: "32 m in length, ca. 10 m in breadth, ca. 3.5 m in depth at amidships", with cargo capacity estimated at 200 tons.[3]
Significance edit
The excavation has been described as "the first underwater excavation" in South Korea leading to "the advent of underwater archaeology in the history of Korean archaeology". By the end of the excavation, the recovered objects, in addition to parts of the ship's hull itself, included "20,664 pieces of ceramic ware, 729 metal objects, 43 stone objects, 28 tons of Chinese coins, 1,017 pieces of red sandalwood (each about 1-2m long), and 1,346 other objects (including the crew's daily necessities)", and the size of the recovered cargo led to it being described in early-1990s as possibly "the richest ancient shipwreck yet discovered".[3]
Around 1981 the reconstructed ship and many of its artifacts were displayed in the Mokpo Conservation Institute for Maritime Archaeological Finds in Mokpo.[3] Subsequently, many artifacts were divided between several regional museums, although most were kept in storage. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the excavation, the National Museum of Korea held a special exhibition dedicated to the shipwreck in 2016. As 2010s, the ship and most of its related artifacts are displayed the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (the institution is also known as the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo).[6][7][8][9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Kim, Yojung; Yoon, Yong-Hee; Mitsutani, Takumi; Moon, Whan-Suk; Park, Won-Kyu (2013-01-01). "Species identification and tree-ring dating of wood boxes excavated from the Shinan shipwreck, Korea". Dendrochronologia. 2011 Meeting ADA. 31 (4): 266–272. Bibcode:2013Dendr..31..266K. doi:10.1016/j.dendro.2013.01.002. ISSN 1125-7865.
- ^ a b Fan, Jianan; Li, Haichao (2020-09-01). "A study on the departure port of the Sinan shipwreck—A perspective based on the Chinese ceramic cargo". Archaeological Research in Asia. 23: 100195. doi:10.1016/j.ara.2020.100195. ISSN 2352-2267. S2CID 219766629.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chang, Kyung-Ho (1991). "The Shinan shipwreck | Silk Roads Programme. Based on an article from the International Seminar on the Korean Culture and the Silk Roads, 23–25 February 1991. Kyongju and Pusan, Republic of Korea". en.unesco.org. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ Angela Schottenhammer (13 February 2019). Early Global Interconnectivity across the Indian Ocean World, Volume II: Exchange of Ideas, Religions, and Technologies. Springer. p. 221. ISBN 978-3-319-97801-7.
- ^ Notification No. 495 of the Ministry of Culture and Information, 《Designation of Historic Sites》, Minister of Culture and Information, Republic of Korea Gazette No.8868, p. 5, 1981-06-19
- ^ Kim, Seojin; Kim, Eung-ho; Lee, Yu-na (2020-09-15). "Effect of the Acid Degradation of the Shinan Shipwreck on Indoor Air Quality in the Korean National Maritime Museum". Studies in Conservation. 66 (5): 272–281. doi:10.1080/00393630.2020.1812243. ISSN 0039-3630. S2CID 234600278.
- ^ "중국동전·꽃병·고려청자…700년 전 신안보물선 만나다". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ "바다서 건진 보물 '신안선'… 전모를 드러내다". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 23 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ "40년 수장고에 묻어놨던 신안선 보화들 이제야 다 꺼냈다". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
Further reading edit
- Green, Jeremy (1983). "The Shinan excavation, Korea: an interim report on the hull structure". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 12 (4): 293–301. Bibcode:1983IJNAr..12..293G. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1983.tb01163.x. ISSN 1095-9270.
- Ki-woong, Kim (1983-03-01). "The Shinan shipwreck". Museum International. 35 (1): 35–37. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0033.1983.tb00421.x. ISSN 1350-0775.
- Hoffmann, Per; Choi, Kwang-Nam; Kim, Yong-Han (1991). "The 14th-century Shinan ship: progress in conservation". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 20 (1): 59–64. Bibcode:1991IJNAr..20...59H. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1991.tb00297.x. ISSN 1057-2414.
- Green, Jeremy; Kim, Zae Geun (1989). "The Shinan and Wando sites, Korea: further information". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 18 (1): 33–41. Bibcode:1989IJNAr..18...33G. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1989.tb00171.x. ISSN 1095-9270.
- Kim, Yong Han (1995). "A Study on the Restoration of Shinan Shipwreck". Journal of Conservation Science. 4 (1): 3–10. ISSN 1225-5459.
