Shocking! Archaeological Investigation Report No. 1 on Ancient Sunken Ships in the South China Sea | Work | Investigation

Exploring the Treasures of the Maritime Silk Road in Deep Blue, About Kilometers apart - Archaeological Investigation Record of the First Stage of the Sinking Ships No.1 and No.2 on the Northwest Slope of the South China Sea

On the morning of the 11th, with the arrival of the "Exploration One" scientific research ship in Sanya, the first phase of archaeological investigation work on the sunken ships of the Northwest Slope of the South China Sea, No. 1 and No. 2, was successfully concluded.

Over a period of more than 20 days, 21 sub projects were carried out, and there was no precedent for archaeological investigation. The mysterious ancient sunken ship, after more than 500 years of waiting, made an appointment with the deep-sea archaeological team under the vast blue waves.

Opening a new chapter in deep-sea archaeology

On May 20, 2023, at a depth of approximately 1500 meters on the northwest slope of the South China Sea.

Riding the manned submersible "Deep Sea Warrior", Chinese cultural relics workers laid out permanent underwater surveying points on the seabed. This marks the official launch of the investigation work, marking the beginning of a new chapter in deep-sea archaeology in China.

This is an important moment in the history of Chinese archaeology——

On the morning of October 23, 2022, the Deep Sea Warrior was carrying out its 500th submarine mission. In the cockpit of the mother ship, the underwater communication system suddenly heard the diver's exclamation from the bottom of the sea: "Discovered large pottery jars!" "Tens of thousands!"

This is the interior of the sunken ship No.1 on the northwest slope of the South China Sea. Shen Jizhong

Nearly seven months later, the National Cutural Heritage Administration and the People's Government of Hainan Province released the following news:

Two Ming Dynasty sunken ships have been discovered in the South China Sea, named South China Sea Northwest Slope No.1 and South China Sea Northwest Slope No.2, which are relatively well preserved and have a clear era. Among them, the cultural relics of the No. 1 sunken ship are mainly ceramic artifacts, scattered over an area of tens of thousands of square meters, with an estimated quantity exceeding 100000 pieces; The second sunken ship discovered a large amount of logs.

Yan Yalin, director of the Department of Archaeology of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, said, "This major discovery has proved the historical facts of the development, utilization and exchanges of Chinese ancestors in the South China Sea, and has made a breakthrough contribution to China's marine history, ceramics history, overseas trade history, maritime Silk Road research, etc."

With the approval of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, the Archaeological Research Center of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the South China Sea Museum jointly formed a deep-sea archaeological team to carry out archaeological investigations in three stages.

The underwater permanent surveying base point, located in the southwest corner of the core accumulation area of the No. 1 sunken ship, has become the benchmark for archaeological records and excavations.

This survey is fascinating——

Riding a manned submersible, we investigate, record, and study archaeological sites to depths that conventional diving cannot reach, extract cultural relics and samples, and witness the pile up of ceramic artifacts like mountains... Deep sea sunken ships provide archaeologists with extremely rare opportunities.

Behind this survey is standardization and meticulousness——

Where to clean the water cultural relics, how to transport them, who is responsible for keeping them, which model of camera is more suitable for recording during diving operations, whether there is enough hard disk for data storage and backup, the format of team members' work diaries, and even the method of numbering the water cultural relics and samples... Every detail needs to be carefully discussed and finally determined by everyone.

"Unexpected situations can arise at any time, and every team member will not be easy. The challenge is huge," said project leader Song Jianzhong.

Deep sea archaeology is a cutting-edge field in underwater archaeological research worldwide. Since its inception in 1987, underwater archaeology in China has mostly focused on working in shallow waters below 40 meters.

In January 2018, the Deep Sea Archaeology Joint Laboratory was established in Sanya. In April 2018 and August 2022, two deep-sea archaeological surveys were successfully carried out in the North Reef area of the the Xisha Islands and the Xisha Trough area, opening the door to deep-sea archaeology in China.

People eagerly await: Will there be heavyweight relics for archaeological investigation beneath that deep blue?

Now, they are waiting for this moment.

Technology and archaeology work closely together

"At 8 o'clock, the visibility was level 7, the southeast wind was level 3, and the waves were level 2..." The on duty crew of "Exploration One" calmly recorded the navigation log.

On the deck, the submersible was ready, A-frame testing was carried out, small boats were deployed, cables were hung and untied... The "Deep Sea Warrior" was ready to depart, and the work of various departments was intertwined, as if precision designed gears were tightly interlocked.

The divers untied the cable connecting the manned submersible of the Deep Sea Warrior to the exploration ship, preparing for its descent. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Xiaoxu

About 30 members of the deep-sea archaeological team participated in this stage of investigation, including archaeology, cultural relic protection, geophysical exploration, marine geology, marine biology, mechanical electronics, and other fields. They were divided into 6 groups to complete the investigation tasks.

The collaborative work of the team members from six groups is a vivid portrayal of technology and archaeology working hand in hand.

They share with each other——

"We will strictly follow the requirements of underwater archaeological work regulations, using the underwater permanent surveying base point as the benchmark, carry out three-dimensional laser scanning, photography splicing, image recording, classification and extraction of cultural relics, etc." Deputy leader Deng Qijiang "popularized" archaeological knowledge to scientists.

"We can collect sediment and enriched water samples near different media, carry out research on sediment flux and isotope chemistry, and also carry out high-throughput sequencing and microbial culture to understand the microbial groups in the environment and assess the possible impact of related microorganisms on cultural relics." Chen Shun, associate researcher of the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced his work plan.

They argued passionately——

The archaeologist said, "Don't rush to extract cultural relics. We need to reconstruct the historical process of the ship sinking and make a more accurate positioning of the distribution of cultural relics."

The scientist said, "Conducting sub meter level positioning and centimeter level surveying of underwater sites? This question is' super class'!"

They fought side by side——

During each 8-9 hour dive, archaeologists concentrate on observing, recording, and analyzing, while divers carry out tasks such as laser ruler measurement, multi angle image acquisition, and manipulating robotic arms to extract cultural relics and samples according to the requirements of archaeologists.

"The challenge is that many jobs do not have a second chance. For example, extracting cultural relics, improper operation can cause irreparable regret." said diver Li Hangzhou, "Our diver team executed this task with the highest standards and strictest requirements."

Every team member participating in the investigation cherishes this opportunity.

Li Bin, a member of the photography and camera team, participated in China's first deep-sea archaeological survey in 2018. People still vividly remember that year, when the first cultural relic taken from the deep sea was brought back by the "Deep Sea Warrior", this 50 year old underwater archaeological "veteran" did not hesitate to put on a diving suit, jump into the sea, and hold it tightly in his arms, afraid of losing it.

This time, Li Bin faithfully recorded every moment of the close collaboration between technology and archaeology through his lens. He said, "All the historical records we leave behind must withstand the test of the future."

There is no precedent to follow

At 14:30, the sea and sky were one color, and the scorching sun was like fire.

In Room 319 of Exploration One, a scientific meeting is being held. At this time every day, team members gather together to review the video materials brought back from the previous dive and discuss the precautions for the next dive.

"There is no precedent internationally for conducting archaeological investigations on ancient sunken ship sites of such depth and scale," said Chen Chuanxu, deputy project leader. This scientist who studies geophysical exploration is also fascinated by studying the Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He. He hopes that the investigation into the sunken ship can help unravel the mystery of Zheng He's navigation skills during his voyages to the West.

But there are numerous challenges. At depths of up to 1500 meters, any seemingly simple task can become incredibly difficult.

For example, where is the best location to extract cultural relics from the sunken ship No.1, which covers an area of tens of thousands of square meters?

If extracted from scattered cultural relics, some historical information that can be used to study the sinking process of sunken ships will be lost.

If extracted from the core accumulation area of cultural relics, the "Deep Sea Warrior" can only hover above the accumulation area, which is too far for the robotic arm to reach, and too close may affect the safety of cultural relics. If the extraction process causes damage to the accumulation of cultural relics, the consequences would be unimaginable.

There is no ready-made answer, only continuous testing and careful exploration.

At the data processing center, data compilation team member Yue Chaolong's computer runs all night. He used the image materials he brought back from diving time and time again for digital image 3D stitching, and a panoramic image of the sunken ship became increasingly clear;

Huang Zepeng, a member of the geophysical exploration team, repeatedly reviewed the image data and accurately located and labeled each underwater cultural relic on the map;

Members of the cultural relics protection team, Liu Sheng and Li Jian, repeatedly inspected various equipment, tools, and materials required for the on-site protection of cultural relics, and made full preparations

Under the scorching sun, everyone is facing difficulties.

On June 2nd, the Deep Sea Warrior successfully extracted two logs from the shipwreck site of No. 2;

On June 4th, with the help of a new flexible robotic arm, the "Deep Sea Warrior" successfully extracted a batch of cultural relics such as blue and white Eight Immortal patterned jars, blue and white Kirin patterned plates, white glazed covered bowls, and blue glazed covered jars from the No.1 sunken ship site;

On June 8th, after multiple previous efforts, all long baseline beacons were deployed into water and calibrated at night, ready for use;

……

Exploration One, drifting on the sea, witnessed setbacks and anxiety, sweat and hope. This ship has been proud of explorers since its birth.

A new starting point

As night fell, the team members who had finished their day's mission looked up and saw stars shining in the sky.

Once upon a time, our ancestors set sail under the same starlight, writing a chapter in the history of the Maritime Silk Road. The feats of crossing mountains and seas have long been deeply engraved in the historical memory of the Chinese nation.

During the first phase of over 20 days of investigation, the deep-sea archaeological team completed a series of tasks——

A large-scale underwater search and investigation were conducted on the sunken ships No.1 and No.2, and over 200 cultural relics were safely extracted. Cultural relics workers will conduct comprehensive research on them and interpret the historical information contained within them;

Complete the 3D laser scanning and photographic stitching of the core stacking area of the first and second sunken ships;

Conducting experiments on underwater sand extraction and blowing, applying "black technologies" such as long baseline positioning and flexible robotic arms to deep-sea archaeology;

The standards for deep-sea archaeological work are gradually being established, including surface logs, scientific reports on deep-sea archaeological diving, and registration forms for cultural relics that have emerged.

"This is a scene that I would never dream of a hundred times, even a thousand times," Deng Qijiang said excitedly after completing his diving work.

Dreams are the stars that guide us forward.

"At present, we are not sure about the condition of the ship's hull. In the next stage, we need to invite experts who study the hull to join the deep-sea archaeological team." "Next, we should conduct a detailed investigation of the sunken ship No. 1 by region and classification." "Based on the size of the extracted cultural relics, more models of flexible robotic arms can be developed." When it comes to future work, everyone has new ideas and ideas. ".

Sitting in the submersible cabin for the first time, Wang Wanfeng, a member of the surveying and recording team, was both excited and nervous. The excellent professional skills and rigorous scientific attitude of the divers left a deep impression on this "post-90s" underwater archaeologist: "After returning, I need to hurry up to learn about overseas trade history, ceramic history, ancient shipbuilding history... I want to learn all the relevant professional knowledge and prepare for future deep-sea archaeological investigations!"

The tide is surging, and how many legends of civilization are still hidden under the vast deep blue.

How did our ancestors explore paths to distant places in the wind and rain? What touching stories of cultural exchanges are there on the route to foreign lands? In the magnificent ocean chapter of the Chinese nation, deep-sea archaeology faces countless historical mysteries and challenges.

"Stepping through the ups and downs to become the main road, overcoming the difficulties and starting again... The melody of" Where is the Road? "Always echoes in the ears of deputy leader Zhang Ninghao, who said," The end of this stage of investigation is just a new starting point. "