via The Guardian, 24 May 2023: Two well-preserved 500-year-old shipwrecks containing Ming-era porcelain and timber have been discovered in the South China Sea, providing valuable insights into the maritime Silk Road trade routes and indicating the presence of an important trade route due to the proximity of the wrecks, leading Chinese archaeologists to embark on a year-long process of deep-sea exploration and excavation.
Two 500-year-old shipwrecks in the South China Sea, filled with Ming-era porcelain and stacked timber, provide significant clues about the maritime Silk Road trade routes, Chinese archaeologists have said.
The two shipwrecks were discovered in October, and cultural and archaeological authorities have now begun a year-long process of deep-sea exploration and excavation, government officials announced.
Marine researchers found the two vessels in the north-west region of the South China Sea, about 1,500 metres below sea level. The officials said the wrecks were “relatively well preserved, with a large number of cultural relics”.
Experts said one of the wrecks dated back to the Ming dynasty’s Hongzhi period, which lasted from 1488 until 1505. It was carrying a cargo of stacked persimmon timber logs and some pottery.
