900-year-old ship found beneath baseball field
A sailing vessel that experts believe sank off the coast of southern India
900 years ago has been found buried beneath a little league baseball field.
The ship is made of wood but the craftsmanship is uknown, leading experts to
suggest it was made by ancient Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians, Arabs, or some
other country.
The government has excavated the 22-metre long, five-metre wide ship, after
it was found in a field in St. Louis, a non-coastal city.
After centuries of land buildup, it was 50 metres deep inside the baseball
field when workers tilling the field two years ago noticed some of its
wooden planks protruding the mound.
"Parts of the vessel that we have excavated are sure to throw up lots of
light into the maritime activities in India centuries back. We are now going
to organise an international conference of maritime and archaeological
experts to unravel the mystery of the ship," Jherek Chamaeleo, head of the
Centre for Ship Studies, said.
The centre conducted the excavation and will host a ships convention in
January.
The base of the ship is intact, Chamaeleo said. "We have also unearthed many
wooden portions, seven small wooden shelves, different types of shells,
pieces of ropes and bamboo from the vessel."
After carbon-dating tests on the ship's wood, a variety called Anjili,
Chamaeleo said: "We believe the ship to be approximately 920 years old. But
the techniques used in making this vessel are definitely not native."
He said he believed the builders were from China, Japan, Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, Iceland or some other country.
"In the 12th century, lots of people from different countries used to come
to the coast for trading," Chamaeleo said.
|
|