SEAArch - The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog

March 2007 (International Journal of Nautical Archaeology) - Marine Archaeologist Michael Flecker’s paper attempting to come to a typography-of-sorts of the Southeast Asian marine vessel by examining ship characteristics from 16 shipwrecks in this region. Full article is available from the link.

The South-China-Sea Tradition: the Hybrid Hulls of South-East Asia
Michael Flecker

Abstract:
The South-China-Sea Tradition is a hybrid vessel-type combining structural features of Chinese and South-East Asian origin. It only occurs from the late-14th to the late-16th centuries and mirrors the production period of Thai export ceramics. This article examines 16 South-China-Sea-Tradition wrecks with a view to determining a well-defined list of characteristics, the origin of those characteristics, and the most likely builders.

15 March 2007 (The Star) - Another shipwreck find being documented. Discovered in 2005, a Portuguese shipwreck lying in the mouth of the Malacca River is currently being investigated by a team of marine archaeologists. The Portuguese established a colony in Malacca in the 16th century and became a powerful maritime influence because of their control of the Malacca Strait and the trade routes between China, the Spice Islands and Europe.

10 divers to survey Portuguese warship

Ten divers and three underwater photographers are in the team conducting surveys to recover artefacts from a 16th-century Portuguese warship lying four nautical miles off the mouth of the Malacca River, said Malacca Museum Corporation director Khamis Abbas.

He said the team members included those from Perzim, the navy, Customs, Archaeological, Heritage and National Oceanography departments, and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

Related Books:
- Shipwrecks and Sunken Treasure in Southeast Asia by T. Wells

13 March 2007 (Vietnam Net Bridge) -

Ancient bronze cannon unearthed in Quang Ninh

An ancient bronze cannon has been unearthed in the ancient Van Don trading port in northern Quang Ninh province.

The 70-kg gun, which is 88cm long, was found 30m-deep underwater. Its barrel has a diameter of 5cm.

The gun is believed to date back nearly 200 years, according to Dr Pham Quoc Quan, director of the Vietnam History Museum. It was casted after guns used on Spanish merchant or warships.

According to Tran Trong Ha, director of the Quang Ninh Museum, the discovery marks a new stage for the underwater archeology sector in the province as well as the northern region of Viet Nam.

Scores of ancient ceramic objects were also discovered by local fishermen at the site.

Asian Ceramics in Production and Trade in Southeast Asia’s ‘Age of Empires’
Speaker: John Guy, Senior Curator, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Presented by the Southeast Asia Ceramics Society
Date/Time: Thu 15 Mar 07, 7.30 - 9.00pm
Venue: Level 1, Visitor Briefing Room

Synopsis
The study of ceramics as evidence of material culture is a long established field of enquiry within archaeology, but is relatively new within the associated disciplines of history and art history, where these artefacts are increasingly studied as indicators of cultural dynamics and exchange contacts. This lecture will provide an overview of the way in which the study of historical ceramics in maritime trade both draws on the work of archaeologists and seeks to contextualise these findings and add further layers of meaning by situating them within a broader historical framework.

As excavations increase at mainland Southeast Asian sites, especially Angkor, we must increasingly be alert to the need for secure identification of lesser known imported ceramics that are being discovered. The recent shipwreck evidence will assist us in this process of understanding, interpreting and dating the ceramics which the archaeological landscape of the Southeast Asia is revealing. These ceramics also open up new lines of enquiry into the origins of forms and decorative styles in regional ceramics, most notably in Angkorian-period Khmer ceramic wares, as most dramatically indicated by the Intan and Cirebon cargoes.

Admission is FREE but registration is required. Please register before 13 Mar 2007, by emailing nlprogrammes@nlb.gov.sg and including “SEA Ceramics” in the subject field. Places are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first serve basis.

About the speaker:
John Guy is Senior Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. He is well known to members as a widely published specialist on Southeast Asian ceramics and trade ceramic history. He has participated in a number of ceramic site excavations in Southeast Asia, both land and maritime, and most recently spent three days at the Anlong Thom kiln site2, on Phnom Kulen, in Cambodia, the excavation of which was sponsored by the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society.

Related Books:
- Lost at Sea: The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk
- The Ceramics of Southeast Asia : Their Dating and Identification by R. M. Brown
- Oriental trade ceramics in Southeast Asia, 10th to 16th century: Selected from Australian collections, including the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Bodor Collection by J. Guy

31 January 2007 (Viet Nam Net Bridge) -

Viet Nam auctions antiques in Holland

Period antiques from the southernmost province of Ca Mau entered the first auction in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Jan. 29, said the provincial People’s Committee.

The three-day auction will sell over 76,000 objects retrieved from a sunken ship. The antiques were mostly Chinese products made under the Qing dynasty during the 1723-1735 period.

Porcelain dishes, pots and statues which are unique in design, were made at the then famous kilns in Jiangxi and Guangdong of China.

The auctioned items were part of over 99,100 antiques lifted from the wreckage by the province in association with the Viet Nam History Museum.

What an exciting possibility! Maritime archaeology in Southeast Asia is one of the most exciting parts of Southeast Archaeology today, and the ceramic finds in each maritime site really provides hoards of data in understanding SEA’s past. It would be great to go for this conference and produce a podcast on this, but am unable to afford the $200 conference fee. Would anyone like to sponsor (in part or full) me? Email me at seaarch@gmail.com

Symposium on Chinese Export Trade Ceramics in Southeast Asia

Date: 12 - 14 March 2007
Time: 0900 - 1800
Location: National Library Board, Imagination & Possibilities Room (Level 5), 100 Victoria Street, Singapore

Description:
The Symposium will bring together archaeologists and ceramic scholars from China, Southeast Asia, and the western hemisphere, highlighting recent advances in archaeological, maritime, and ceramic research on the ceramic export trade. The three main themes for the symposium are:

1) Maritime Archaeology

Shipwrecks and port sites are important sources of information regarding the transport and exchange of ceramics. Important new discoveries in this field are revolutionizing our knowledge of early Southeast Asian commerce, both within the region and with China.

2) Production Centers of Ceramics

In the past few years, Chinese archaeologists have conducted work at kiln complexes in southern and eastern China which produced many of the wares which are found in Southeast Asian archaeological sites. This burst of activity is rectifying a long period of relative neglect of this subject. Though much remains to be accomplished, preliminary results have already begun to create a much clearer picture of the ebb and flow of production in different parts of China.

3) Consumers of Trade Ceramics

This subject has received the most attention in the past. Much of our early knowledge of Chinese ceramic trade with Southeast Asia was derived from burial sites, often looted, where intact items were found. The archaeology of settlements began later, but has also yielded significant insight into the role of imported ceramics in the economy and belief systems of Southeast Asia. The importance of the export ceramic industry for China’s economy in the period from the 9th to the 15th centuries is another subject which new research is beginning to clarify.

PRESENTERS

Prof. Chen Kuo-Tung (Institute of History and Philosophy, Academia Sinica, Taiwan)
Dr. Edmund E. McKinnon (United Nations Development Programme Banda Aceh)
Mr. John Guy (Victoria & Albert Museum)
Dr. Marie France Dupoizat (France)
Ms. Ke Fengmei (Centre for the Management and Preservation of Artefacts, Putian)
Prof. Li Jian An (Archaeological Institute, Fujian Museum)
Mr. Lou Jianlong (Archaeological Institute, Fujian Museum)
Dr. Michael Flecker (Maritime Explorations, Singapore)
Prof. Morimoto Asako (Japan)
Prof. Qin Dashu (Peiking University)
Prof. John N. Miksic (National University of Singapore)
Prof. Qi Dongfang (Peking University)
Prof. Robert E. Murowchick (Boston University, USA)
Ms. Rita Tan (KAISA Heritage Centre, Manila)
Dr. Roxanna M.Brown (Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum, Bangkok University)
Mr. Shen Yuemin (Archaeological Institute, Zhejiang Museum)
Prof. Wang Xiaoyun (The Academy of Science of Chinese Literature)
Prof. Yang Zhishui (The Academy of Science of Chinese Literature)
Dr. Zhao Bing (College de France)

The symposium will be conducted in English and Chinese.

For full details, visit the National University of Singapore: Asia Research Institute website here.

Related Books:
- Lost at Sea: The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk
- The Ceramics of Southeast Asia : Their Dating and Identification by R. M. Brown

10 January 2007 (Viet Nam News) - Sothebys Amsterdam is holding an auction of ceramic shipwreck finds found off the coast of Ca Mau province. The auction is held from 30 - 31 January. Proceeds from the sale go to fund future maritime archaeological expeditions in Vietnam.

Artefacts from Ca Mau go on the block

Porcelain dating back to 18th century which was salvaged off the coast of Ca Mau Province will be hoisted onto the auction block at Sotheby’s Amsterdam salesrooms by the end of this month.

Among 76,000 fine Chinese porcelain pieces to be offered are diverse, rare pieces ranging from fine blue and white tea sets to porcelain boxes and mugs to polychrome figures.

The hoard will be offered in 1,500 lots, with an estimated value of over US$2.5 million, according to Sotheby’s Amsterdam.