VNE

The 700-year-old wreck in pictures  "For the first time Vietnamese experts have excavated the shipwreck dating back to the 13th century. This is the oldest wreck in Vietnam waters. The ship has a unique structure, which is rarely seen in the world," said Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, former director of the Vietnam National Museum of History. After one month of excavation of the wreck in Chau Thuan Bien village in Binh Chau commune of Binh Son district, on June 30 Quang Ngai provincial authorities held a press conference to release a preliminary report on the results of the excavation. The excavation site is now open for experts and officials of central provinces. The ancient ship lies at the seabed but it looks like lying on land. Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, former director of the Vietnam National History of Museum said this is the first time that he excavated such an intact wreck. This is the oldest wreck in Vietnam. The ship is intact with the rudder, 13 compartments with 12 bulkheads. The structure is quite solid and it was made of rare wood. The stem of the ship is a black plank of wood, which is untouched after 700 years under the sea. Dr. Quan said the ship was built by manual methods and connected by steel nails. The gaps on the hull were plastered with lime and sugar baits. The wood was mainly from old trees, including pine. The plank of wood in the stem is over 4m long, 30cm thick. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chien, deputy director of the Vietnam National History of Museum said archaeologists found traces of straw used to cover pottery items. Experts said the 700-year-old ship was in fire before sinking in Binh Chau. The traces of the fire were left in some compartments. Experts have collected thousands of ceramic artifacts from the ship. The 700-year-old vessel contained ceramics dating to the 13th and 14th centuries, produced by different pottery villages. A rare ceramic plate on the ancient ship. Some artifacts are on display at the Quang Ngai General Museum. The archaeological excavation of the shipwreck in Binh Chau is the sixth of its kind in Vietnam and it is an unprecedented phenomenon in archaeological excavations in the water. "The results of this excavation are important to the study of the Silk Road in the East Sea, the history of trade and the ancient shipbuilding techniques," said Dr. Nguyen Dang Vu, director of the Department of Culture - Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai. Archaeologists found 19 types of currencies dating from the 13th century onwards in the ship. VNE