1
10
3
-
https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/files/original/e6a2d2b5dcd0ac8de14cf0b77112ed08.pdf
0121e5d1e1cf626790d41f89f140ddc9
PDF Text
Text
Trading Ceramics: The Findings from the Shipwrecks along the Coast of Vietnam
Hoang Anh Tuan (History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, hoanganhtuan.btls@gmail.com)
ABSTRACT
The overland ‘Silk Road’ has served as the main conduit for the exchange of goods and culture between China,
Southeast Asia, and the West since the Han Dynasty. Its primary role has been diminished due to the establishment of
sea routes by the Tang Dynasty, thus Guangzhou (China) became one of the main gateways for maritime trade with
Southeast Asia and the West.
Southeast Asia is strategically situated at the passage of the maritime trade route, connecting the East and the West. It
has thus been known to be an area rich in precious metals, and luxury products such as pearls, rhino horn, tortoiseshells
and spices since ancient times. In addition, it is also used as an entrepôt complex on the maritime route between the
East and the West.
With a particularly favourable geographical situation, Vietnam's waters play a particularly important role in the
‘Maritime Silk Road’.
Over the past three decades, dozens of ancient shipwrecks have been discovered related to the ‘Maritime Silk Road’
in Vietnam's territorial waters. Those shipwrecks are evidence of the ceramics trade, which may have taken place for
centuries along the coasts of Vietnam.
This paper deals with the ceramic collections discovered on one of the shipwrecks in Vietnam's territorial waters, being
housed at the History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. It is dated from the ninth to nineteenth centuries. It may
demonstrate the process of economic and cultural exchange from the East to the West at that time.
Keywords: shipwreck, ancient ceramics, maritime silk road, Vietnam's territorial waters.
List of Figures
Figure 1 Chinese ceramics dated in Kangxi reign around the seventeenth century from Hòn Cau Island shipwreck
preserved in the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.
Figure 2 Sawankhalok ceramics dated in the sixteenth century from the Hòn Dầm Island shipwreck preserved in the
Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.
Figure 3 Chu Dau ceramics dated in the fifteenth century from the Cham Island shipwreck preserved in the Ho Chi
Minh City Museum of History.
Figure 4 Chinese ceramics dated in Yongzheng reign around the eighteenth century from Cà Mau shipwreck
preserved in the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.
Figure 5 Chinese ceramics dated in the Late Ming Dynasty around the seventeenth century from Bình Thuận
shipwreck preserved in Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.
Figure 6 Chinese ceramics dated in the Tang Dynasty around the ninth century from waters of Southern Vietnam
preserved in Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.
1
�INTRODUCTION
Chinese ceramics during the Kangxi reign of Qing Dynasty dated in 1690, from Hòn Cau Island
shipwreck, Vũng Tàu-Côn Đảo province
In 1990, a wreck measured 32.71 metre length with 9 metre width was discovered at a depth of 40 metres
below the sea surface, buried in sand 1 metres deep, located in the Cau Island area (Hòn Cau in Vietnamese),
Côn Đảo district; coordinates at N8°38’15” latitude, E108°48’50” longitude. The excavation was conducted
under the cooperation of Vietnam Salvage Joint Stock Company (henceforth Visal), with the multi-nations
of underwater archaeologists and divers from Canada, the US and the UK. More than 60,000 artefacts have
been recovered, most of which are Chinese ceramics, possibly destined for the European market, produced
from Chinese kilns such as Jingdezhen (Jiangxi province), Shantou and Dehua (Fujian province). Along
with the copper coins, two Chinese inksticks “墨” (Mò) marked with the characters “庚午” (GengWu)
were found, suggesting that the ship was built in the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty around 1690.
Besides the Chinese style items, European style objects were also found on the wreck, possibly porcelain
ordered from Chinese kilns. Their shape is a testament to their technical and artistic flair making them
admired all over the world.
The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History has received from the Ministry of Culture and Sports 229
artefacts including the vases, jars, pen tubes, cups, plates, and the small statues.
Figure 1 Chinese ceramics dated in Kangxi reign around the seventeenth century from Hòn Cau Island shipwreck preserved in the
Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Left - Vase BTLS 10045, blue and white, MD: 12.6 cm, H: 21.5cm. Right - Dish BTLS
10.136, blue and white, MD: 12.9cm, H: 3.0cm.
Thai ceramics dated to the sixteenth century, from Hòn Dầm Island shipwreck, Kiên Giang province
The wreck was found at a depth of 10 metres below the sea surface, 5 kilometres far from the shore of Dầm
Island (Hòn Dầm in Vietnamese), Phú Quốc district, Kiên Giang province; coordinates at N9°59’00”
latitude and E104°02’00” longitude. The size of the shipwreck is nearly 30 metre length and 7 metre width,
divided into several bulkheads with a width of 1.8 metres each. More than 16,000 ceramics have been found,
mostly the celadon or green glazed, brown glazed, and underglaze black wares produced from Sawankhalok
(or Si Satchanalai) and Sukhothai (Sukhothai province, Thailand) kilns dated to the sixteenth century.
Thai style celadon or green glaze ceramics, also called “Đông Thanh” glaze in Vietnamese; and other
colours such as light grey, blackish brown or yellow, white and grey, included unglazed earthenware
utensils. The shape is mainly small jars, with or without handles, small bowls, plates, and other household
2
�items. Some reflections of the Vietnamese ceramic forms and decorative elements on blue-and-white wares
can be seen in the Thai underglaze black ceramics, specifically the boxes, kendi (known as a container of
Indian derivation using contain liquid with the mouth on the top for filling, neck for handle, and the spout
for pouring), and the covered jars painted black flowers on white slip background. Some other Thai large
celadon bowls also suggest that they had influenced from the Southern Song ceramic (南宋 1127–1279) in
the South China.
Glazed ceramic figurines are prominent among the other types of ceraics found on this shipwreck. They
include the figurines of a mother holding a baby, an elephant with a mahout and warriors protecting the
elephant feet, and other forms of animal, such as a hare with their own details being very vividly embossed.
The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History owns 218 artefacts, of which nine have been transferred. Types
of artefacts kept by the museum include bowls, plates, covered boxes, jars, pots, elephant figurines, kendi.
Figure 2 Sawankhalok ceramic dated in the sixteenth century from the Hòn Dầm Island shipwreck preserved in the Ho Chi Minh
City Museum of History. Elephant BTLS 30.394, Celadon, MD: 18.5 x 10.7 cm, H: 19.4cm.
Chu Đậu ceramics from a Cham Island shipwreck, Hội An, Quảng Nam province, fifteenth century
The shipwreck was found at a depth of 70 metres below the sea surface, close to the Cham Island area on
coordinates at N16°16’08” latitude and E108° 27' 00” longitude. The excavation was conducted under the
cooperation of the archaeologists from the Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi, Visal, and Saga Horizon
Company (Malaysia) The project was carried out in three years, from 1997-2000 with joint-operations
between the archaeologists from the UK, Malaysia, and Slovakia.
240,000 ceramic items were recovered from a wreck measuring 29.4 metre length with 7.2 metre width,
divided into 19 bulkheads. The ceramic origins are likely Dai Viet, Champa, Thailand, and Chinese.
Ceramics made from kilns in Chu Đậu (Hải Dương province) and Thăng Long (Hanoi) are outstanding in
quantity, style, and type. These kilns are located in the north of Vietnam active in ceramic production since
the late fifteenth century onwards.
Ceramics found in the Cham Island shipwreck are mainly the housewares, containers, and utensils for eating
and drinking. Some designs are served as religious utensils such as incense burner, kendi.
These ceramics represent the development of export ceramics with varieties of decorative techniques
creating a distinct tradition of Vietnamese ceramics.
3
�The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History currently keeps 4,675 artefacts. 4,366 objects were requested by
the Ministry of Culture and Information and the rest were transferred to the Police Department.
Figure 3 Chu Dau ceramics dated in the fifteenth century from the Cham Island shipwreck preserved in the Ho Chi Minh City
Museum of History. Kendi BTLS 16.956, cobalt blue pattern, DM: 18.6 cm, H: 15.1 cm. Covered boxes Collection of History
Museum.
Chinese ceramics during the Yongzheng reign of Qing dynasty dated to eighteenth century from the
Cà Mau shipwreck, Cà Mau province
An ancient shipwreck was found in the waters of Cà Mau province, coordinates at N7°41’12” latitude and
E105° 29' 18” longitude. The excavation on this shipwreck was cooperated between the National History
Museum in Hanoi, the Cà Mau Provincial Museum and the Visal. The excavation was conducted for two
phases, carried out from August 1998 to January 1999 and from April to October 1999. Although the wreck
is not intact at a depth of 35 metres below the sea surface, the remains suggest the wreck was 24 metre
length and eight metre width.
Nearly 50,000 recovered items are the ceramics including blue-and-white and overglaze enamel by multicoloured painting possibly from Chinese kilns such as the Jingdezhen (Jiangxi) and some kilns in
Guangzhou (Guangdong). Notably, there are some European-style porcelains such as milk bottles, wine
jugs with handles, plates decorated with flowers and a Dutch landscape. Inscriptions on some objects
suggest that they were probably made under the Yongzheng reign (雍正 1723–35) of Qing Dynasty. These
ceramics are thus assumed to be destined for the European market.
Excavations also found items belonging to merchants or sailors such as lamps, pots, boxes, seals, amulets.
Notably, Chinese metal coins of the Qing dynasty are the diagnostic finds to confirm the dating of this
shipwreck.
A total of 1,392 artefacts were transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History: blue-and-white and
overglaze enamel wares in the forms of the chalk boxes, bowls, large plates, equestrian statues, baby
figurines, burnt lamps.
4
�Figure 4 Chinese ceramics dated in Yongzheng reign around the eighteenth century from Cà Mau shipwreck preserved in the Ho
Chi Minh City Museum of History. Left - Jarlet BTLS. 22.390, blue and white, DM: 8.3 cm, H: 7.4 cm. Center - Jar with cover
BTLS 22.008, blue and white, DM: 12.5 cm, H: 3.8cm. Right BTLS 22.010- Dish, blue and white, DM: 17 x 10.5cm, H: 3.0cm.
Chinese ceramics dated to the seventeenth century from the Bình Thuận shipwreck, Bình Thuận
province.
In 2001, a shipwreck was discovered at a depth of 40 metres below the sea surface about 65 kilometres from
the coast of Bình Thuận province, at coordinates N10°33’30” latitude, E108°35’55” longitude. The remains
suggest the wreck was a length of 23.4 metres and a width of 7.2 metres. The excavation was conducted
under the cooperation between Visal and the Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi during 2001-2002.
The recovered ceramics were mainly household items such as cups, plates, pots and jars decorated by blueand-white and overglaze enamelling from Chinese kilns such as Shantou (Guangdong province) and
Zhangzhou (Fujian province) dated to the early seventeenth century. The “Zhangzhou ware” or also called
as “Swatow ware” is heavy in weight, poor technical and poor artistic quality compared to the blue-andwhite and overglaze enamelling wares of Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi province those probably satisfied the
international markets, such as Southeast Asian and Japanese markets. The Zhangzhou wares are
characterised by the sand stuck on the bottom, which was the placing technique to prevent the glaze from
becoming stuck in a chamber during the firing process in the kiln.
The hypothesis is that the wreck was once property of the Chinese merchant I-Sin-Ho, who went missing at
sea on his way back from Southeast Asia. It is based on a report of the Dutch East India Company
(Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie:VOC) on 21 July 1608 referred to by Dr. Michael Flecker, an
underwater archaeologist who participated in the excavation.
The total numbers of ceramics kept at the History Museum include 117 ceramics, 15 ceramics were
purchased and donated, the rest are transferred by the Police Department, especially the bowls, jars, plates,
and the chalk boxes.
5
�Figure 5 Chinese ceramics dated in the Late Ming Dynasty around the seventeenth century from Bình Thuận shipwreck preserved
in Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Left - Covered box BTLS 28.033, blue and white, DM: 10.4cm, H: 6.4cm. Centre Dish BTLS 28.099, blue and White, DM: 26.8 cm, H: 5.2 cm. Right - Dish with overglazed enamels BTLS 23 911, DM: 25.8cm,
H: 5.0 cm.
Other unknown provenances
In 2019 many fishermen have discovered and recovered a lot of white glazed, copper green glazed and
splashed household ceramics from the Chinese kilns of Ding (Hebei province) and Changsha (Hunan
province) even some kiln in Zhejiang province during the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD). These Tang
ceramics were found in the waters of Southern Vietnam between the coast of Vung Tau and Con Dao Island.
Similar ceramics found in these underwater sites were previously found on the Belitung Island shipwreck
in the Java Sea. In 1998, more than 60,000 ceramics and other luxury objects of gold and silver were
recovered. This evidence found from the shipwreck and underwater sites provides the early evidence of
trade linked between China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History currently houses more than 30 ceramics, especially vases, bowls,
plates, cups, and cups with white glazed, copper green and splashed decorations.
Figure 6 Chinese ceramics dated in the Tang Dynasty around the nineteenth century from waters of Southern Vietnam preserved
in Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Left - Dish BTLS 35.450, green glazed, DM: 16.1 x 9.9cm, H: 2.1 cm. Centre - Dish BTLS
35.448, white glazed, DM: 14.0, H: 3.2 cm. Right - Bowl BTLS 35.453, DM: 11.8 cm, H: 4.2 cm.
Problems raised in the study of ceramics found on shipwrecks in the East Sea of Vietnam
The discoveries of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai ceramics on shipwrecks in the East Sea of Vietnam
among the collection of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History represent the important roles along the
maritime trade or called “Maritime Silk Road” originated from China and passed through the maritime route
in the East Sea of Vietnam. The Chinese ceramics of Tang Dynasty found from waters of Southern Vietnam
near the coasts of Vung Tau and Con Dao Island are a most recent discovery suggesting the early period of
international maritime trade between the East and the West.
6
�The ceramic collection also reflects the problems in the study of politics, economy, culture, society and
trade between the East and the West for a long period of history. Economic and cultural exchange through
the art and technologies of ceramic productions, art and trades suggested they were diverse between China,
Vietnam, Thailand, and other Western countries in different periods of time. They also show the important
role of maritime routes and ports in Vietnam along “Maritime Silk Road.”
Based on the discovery and excavation of ceramics from shipwrecks in the East Sea of Vietnam, the
awareness about underwater cultural heritage may actively conduct within a legal perspective and
international cooperation to ensure the protection, conservation and promotion of underwater cultural
heritage is sustainable and bringing the long-termed benefits to the community in Vietnam.
CONCLUSION
This article is an introduction on the collection of ceramics found from the shipwreck context in the East
Sea of Vietnam currently kept at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. The maritime trade of Chinese,
Vietnamese and Thai ceramics demonstrated economic and cultural exchange activities between the East
and the West along the “Maritime Silk Road” especially in the Vietnamese waters from the 8th to the 18th
centuries.
Bibliography
Chien, Nguyen Dinh. Ca Mau Shipwreck 1723-1735. Hanoi: Vietnam History Museum Export, 2002.
Chien, Nguyen Dinh and Quan, Pham Quoc. Ceramics in Five Ancient Ships in Vietnamese Waters. Hanoi: Vietnam History
Museum Publishing House, 2008.
Chong, Alan and Murphy, Stephen A. (eds.). The Tang Shipwreck: art and exchange in the 9th century. Singapore: Asian
Civilisations Museum, 2017.
Stevenson, John, Guy, John and Cort, Louise Allison. Vietnamese Ceramics: a separate tradition. Chicago: Art Media Resources
Ltd, 1997.
Tuan, Hoang Anh. Ceramics on a Shipwreck Discovered in the Waters of Ba Ria-Vung Tau: new discoveries of archaeology in
2020. Hanoi: ???, 2019. (In Vietnamese)
Tuan, Hoang Anh. Ceramic Specimens of the Tang Dynasty Discovered under the Shipwreck in the Waters of Ba Ria-Vung Tau:
new discoveries of archaeology in 2020. Hanoi: ???,2020. (In Vietnamese)
Tri, Bui Minh and Long, Kerry Nguyen. Vietnamese Blue and White Ceramics. Hanoi: Social Sciences Publishing House, 2001.
Brown, Roxanna M. “History of shipwrecks in Southeast Asia.” In The Belitung Wreck: sunken treasures from Tang China, edited
by Jayne Ward and Zoi Kotitsa, 40–55. New Zealand: Seabed Explorations New Zealand Ltd, 2004.
Koh, N. K. “Shipwrecks with ceramics cargo found in Southeast Asia.” Last modified 12 January 2016. http://www.kohantique.com/shipwreck/shipwreck2.html.
7
�UNESCO. “The Belitung shipwreck,” accessed 22 June 2023. https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/silk-road-themes/underwaterheritage/belitung-shipwreck.
Burchmore, Alexander. “Salvaging Southeast Asian history: shipwrecks and Chinese blue-and-white.” New Mandala, 22 October
2021. https://www.newmandala.org/salvaging-southeast-asian-history-shipwrecks-and-chinese-blue-and-white/.
Asia Society. “Secrets of the sea: a Tang shipwreck and early trade in Asia,” accessed 22 June 2023. https://asiasociety.org/newyork/exhibitions/secrets-sea-tang-shipwreck-and-early-trade-asia.
Boissoneault, Lorraine. “An 800-year-old shipwreck helps archaeologists piece together Asia’s maritime trade.” Smithsonian
Magazine, 17 May 2018. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/800-year-old-shipwreck-helps-archaeologistspiece-together-fragments-asias-maritime-trade-180969110/.
8
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2023 Session 5: New Research Findings of Archaeological Ceramics from the Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region
Subject
The topic of the resource
Session 5 papers
Description
An account of the resource
Papers presented at Session 5 of the 2023 Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
November 2023
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Language
A language of the resource
English
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Trading Ceramics: The Findings from the Shipwrecks along the Coast of Vietnam
Description
An account of the resource
The overland ‘Silk Road’ has served as the main conduit for the exchange of goods and culture between China,
Southeast Asia, and the West since the Han Dynasty. Its primary role has been diminished due to the establishment of
sea routes by the Tang Dynasty, thus Guangzhou (China) became one of the main gateways for maritime trade with
Southeast Asia and the West.
Southeast Asia is strategically situated at the passage of the maritime trade route, connecting the East and the West. It
has thus been known to be an area rich in precious metals, and luxury products such as pearls, rhino horn, tortoiseshells
and spices since ancient times. In addition, it is also used as an entrepôt complex on the maritime route between the
East and the West.
With a particularly favourable geographical situation, Vietnam's waters play a particularly important role in the
‘Maritime Silk Road’.
Over the past three decades, dozens of ancient shipwrecks have been discovered related to the ‘Maritime Silk Road’
in Vietnam's territorial waters. Those shipwrecks are evidence of the ceramics trade, which may have taken place for
centuries along the coasts of Vietnam.
This paper deals with the ceramic collections discovered on one of the shipwrecks in Vietnam's territorial waters, being
housed at the History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. It is dated from the ninth to nineteenth centuries. It may
demonstrate the process of economic and cultural exchange from the East to the West at that time.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Hoang Anh Tuan
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023
Language
A language of the resource
English
Bibliographic Citation
A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible.
Anh Tuan, Hoang. 2023. “Trading Ceramics: The Findings from the Shipwrecks along the Coast of Vietnam.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Atthasit Sukkham. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1936
Asia-Pac Session 5 2023
-
https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/files/original/f26469d2ff035baab1f46eaa329da7b8.pdf
b1f089c1d7bce69f1a1be1d7900476ca
PDF Text
Text
A Study on the Production Sites of Potteries Excavated from Twelfth to Thirteenth
Century Korean Shipwrecks
Dr. Jong-Kuk Shin (Exhibition & Education Division Section Head, NRIMCH)
ABSTRACT
On the south-western coast of Korea lie 12 shipwrecks of the Goryeo Dynasty (tenth to fourteenth centuries). So
far, among recovered artifacts from shipwrecks, less attention was given to pottery, than wooden tablets. Our
research on pottery shows that different production techniques and features are distinctive by region. We expect
this to indicate ports of departure, call, and shipment. The production site was assumed by patterns of dark-brown
glazed pottery, which has distinctive techniques and features among the Goryeo pottery recovered from
shipwrecks. Possible imports from various regions were analysed, considering their provenience.
Ports of call have been usually presumed by production sites like celadon cargo indicated on wooden
tablets. Among five shipwrecks, three namely the Wando, Taean, and Mado no.1, suggest the same ports of
departure from previous analysis on celadons and wooden tablets. Port of departure for Mado no. 2 shipwreck is
argued to be Haenam, which is located roughly 100 kilometres to the south from the port of shipment stated on the
wooden tablets. Also, dark-brown glazed pottery, only one of which was discovered from Mado no.3, is assumed
to have been loaded when it was transferring and navigating near Haenam.
Keywords: shipwreck, pottery, production site, port of departure
List of Tables and Figures
Table 1 Excavation status of pottery recovered from Goryeo shipwrecks in Korea
Table 2 Dark-brown colored glazed pottery recovered from shipwrecks.
Figure 1 Underwater excavation sites of Korea.
Figure 2 Restoration of Mado no. 3 cargo
Figure 3 Various forms, sizes and decoration of storage jars from the Wando and Mado no. 3 shipwrecks
Figure 4 Kiln sites of dark-brown glazed pottery in the Goryeo Dynasty
INTRODUCTION
So far, roughly 100,000 artifacts and 16 shipwrecks have been discovered. Ninety-five per cent of the
former are potteries. After the mid-2000s, at Taean waters of Yellow Sea in Korea, were excavated four
shipwrecks of the Medieval period (Goryeo Dynasty; twelfth to thirteenth centuries). In these more than
100 potteries in good condition were discovered, which raised the necessity of their research. In the case
of cargo vessels from the twelfth to thirteenth centuries in Korea, pottery was used either in daily-life
activities on shipboard, containers for transporting foods in cargos, or carrying other products. Also, the
possibility that pottery from various regions were loaded by their usage and how to operate vessels was
raised. For example, one shipwreck contains a variety of pottery with diverse production techniques and
shapes. Thus, information relevant to the navigation of the vessels, such as port of departure, shipment,
and call, can be assumed. Usage of pottery can be divided by excavation contexts. Incoming routes of
pottery can be traced based on production sites of pottery with similar techniques and shapes.
The methods used to identify pottery production sites from shipwreck cargo:
1. After classifying pottery by production techniques and shapes, potteries are divided by
distinctive features
2. Excavation patterns of pottery from land sites (production and consumption sites) and its
production sites are entered into a database of Goryeo pottery of NRIMCH
3. When compared to previous studies on wooden tablets, porcelain, etc., new suggestions can be
deduced from ports of departure or shipment by the result of cargo pottery production sites.
1
�Figure 1 Underwater excavation sites of Korea.
2
F
i
g
u
�STATUS OF EXCAVATION AND SHIPMENT OF GORYEO POTTERY
A total of 189 pottery pieces were excavated from the shipwrecks. With the exception of Daebudo and
Talido shipwrecks, which contain none. The quantity varies by shipwreck, from five to 54 pieces; for
those with less than 10 pieces we consider the possibility of loss. Also, kitchenware is not included in
the context, as it should be considered with metalware. While jar types, used as a storage, are focused
with distribution and loading categories. The following table summarizes cargo pottery quantity and
type (Table 1).
Table 1 Excavation status of pottery recovered from Goryeo shipwrecks in Korea
Storage Ware (jar)
Shipwreck
Sibidongpado
Small
(<6 L)
1
Medium
(7–25 L)
2
Wando
15
6
Taean
2
6
Daebudo no. 2
1
5
Mado no. 1
9
24
1
Mado no. 2
7
13
2
Mado no. 3
4
37
Anjwa
subtotal
Total
Large
(30-60 L)
Tableware
XLarge
(>100 L)
1
Plate
Bowl
Cookware
Bottle
Steamer
1
1
1
3
15
4
2
1
etc.
Total
6
1
Pot; 6
29
1
Water
jar; 1
10
1
1
11
2
1
54
1
1
24
4
50
5
39
5
98
7
5
16
149 (78.8%)
2
27 (14.2%)
9
6
7
6 (3.1%)
7
(3.7%
)
189
The Sibidongpado and Anjwado shipwrecks, which contain less than five pottery jars, indicate artifacts
loss. Aside, the Taean, Daebudo no. 2, and the Mado no. 4 contain approximately 10 pieces. The
Daebudo no. 2 has eight pieces of 200 litres jars, very large jars for a small craft, it has enough room for
loading foods for shipboard. However, the facts that only four external planks of the Taean were
identified showing severe losses, with eight pieces of 100 litres jars, we argue most were lost.
Figure 2. Restoration of Mado no. 3 cargo
The Wando and the Mado nos. 1, 2, and 3 have more than 20 jars, which raises the possibility of food
cargo storage transport. On the one hand, Wando cargo had 15 small jars, of those only six were used
to transport ingredients so, 9 are considered shipboard use. On the other hand, Mado nos. 1, 2, and 3 had
jars for transport and shipboard. Ten medium-sized jars were found, which is too much only for foods.
On the Mado no. 3 the cargo wooden tablets indicate 26 jars were for food storage transport. In summary,
based on the number of jars, their capacity, and provenience: (1) pottery from the Wando, Taean, and
3
�the Daebudo no. 2 were for shipboard life, (2) pottery from the Mado nos. 1, 2, and 3 were for both
shipboard life and food transport.
How potteries were loaded can be seen on the Taean and the Mado no. 3. It is well-preserved and has
50 pieces of pottery. Figure 2 loaded hypothesis based on restoration of Mado no. 3 cargo provenience.
In the Mado no. 3, which has the largest number of pottery ~ 30 pieces for food storage transport, at the
third room of stem was space for stacking up cargos pottery. We do not see this example elsewhere.
Where they are loaded is 60 centimetre wide, partitioned by Garyongmok (planks used for supporting
side planks and dividing partitions scarfed with one external plank) on the bottom part, which connects
external planks and bridging planks. In Figure 2 we see the 19 jars. In the sixth room were found five
wooden tablets, two bamboo boxes and four pieces of pottery, which indicates cargo for food storage
transport. We also noted a double-sided jar in the second room, which has likely moved from its original
stack. This adds up to 24 cargo potteries. Near the stone hearth in the third room are 13 jars: three bottles,
and one plate. Twenty pieces of celadon and the bronze tableware, along with an iron pot indicates the
likelihood that shipboard goods were stacked near the hearth. We remain unsure of the use for a jar
found between loading areas and shipboard goods. Potteries assumed to be used for food storage
transport are sealed strongly with herbaceous materials and alongside bamboo tablets, number 3 out of
7 jars. The jars nos. 47 and 48 have 31 and 34 litres of capacity, respectively. This is quite large for food
storage transport. However, raw abalone or pickled abalone should not have been too heavy to carry for
an adult. Yet, jar no. 49 next to no. 48, has capacity of more than 50 litres, it is comparatively large.
This exception is hypothesized to have stored drinking water. In summary, our records indicate the Mado
no.3 had wooden tablets in close provenience to 31 jars for food storage transport, along with 19 jars for
shipboard life, which included 14 jar types and five bottles, plates and tableware. We hypothesize the
Mado no. 3 stacked shipboard jars near the hearth at the centre room; whereas the third room, and those
jars for storage transport stacked at the stem of centre room and the stern, while the sixth room indicates
similar features.
FEATURES AND PRODUCTION SITES OF DARK-BROWN GLAZED POTTERY
One-hundred eighty-nine tableware and cookware artifacts were recovered from the Goryeo shipwrecks
of Korea, of which 149 are jar. This 80 per cent jar indicates their likely use for food storage transport
for the crew members. The forms and decorations of pottery recovered from shipwrecks, especially the
jar characteristics are glaze/no glaze, various in sizes from small to large, round- and tall-shaped, and
several forms of the mouth, mouth rim and the neck. Thus, production techniques are diverse. Many
different styles can be loaded along different routes, despite being recovered from the same shipwreck.
We suspect pottery used for shipboard life were generally produced near the port of origin, while those
for food storage transport stayed local to the port of departure. If pottery for storage and shipboard were
loaded from the port of call then jar forms and decoration can indicate strong hypotheses for the port of
departure or call.
4
�Figure 3 Various forms, sizes and decoration of storage jars from the Wando and Mado no. 3 shipwrecks
Pottery form and decoration are used to identify the pottery production sites. Pottery with dark-brown
glaze recovered from the Wando, Taean, and the Mado nos. 1, 2, and 3, which includes ~ 100 show the
complete condition of form and glaze and are identified according to unique glazing method and
characteristics. Most consist of everted mount and a sharp ridge at the neck that made the mouth look
like a tray. It is also a heavier jar. Table 2 shows that 60 per cent of dark-brown glazed jars excavated
from five shipwrecks.
Table 2 Dark-brown glazed potteries able to identify the production sites.
Shipwreck
(date)
Jar
Plate
Wando (early 12th c.)
Tall
jar
5
Hemisphere
jar
15
Taean (mid-12th c.)
1
3
Mado no. 1 (early 13th c.)
1
28
3
Mado no. 2 (early 13th c.)
2
10
2
th
Mado no. 3 (mid-13 c.)
Total
Bowl
Bottle
Sphere
jar
Large
Bowl
Total
(total pieces)
6
26(29)
4(10)
15
2
1
50(54)
14(22)
1
9
57
1(50)
5
15
2
1
6
9 5 (16 5 )
In order to identify the production sites of dark-brown glazed pottery we compared pottery excavated
from the shipwrecks and pottery excavation from terrestrial production and consumption sites.
According to most recent 930 terrestrial excavation sites dated in the Goryeo Dynasty, we conclude
eight sites produced dark-brown glazed pottery comparable with the potteries recovered from the
shipwrecks (Fig. 4).
i. Kiln Jinsan-ri, Haenam (excavated in 1991, 2018, 2021): In 1991 excavation dark-brown glazed
pottery found in large number in the kiln’s waste layer no. 17. This was confirmed again in the 2021
excavation.
5
�Figure 4 Kiln sites of dark-brown glazed pottery in the Goryeo Dynasty
ii. Wolchul Mountain, Yeongam (1994): Located 30 kilometres from Jinsan-ri, Haenam kiln site. The
summit of Wolchul Mountain was used for ritual ceremonies. Dark-brown glazed hemisphere jars were
used for consumption and imported from Haenam.
iii. Yongjang Fortress, Jindo (2012): In the 2012 excavation a medium-sized hemisphere jar was
discovered near the cornerstone of the centre of a fortress. It is a typical dark-brown glazed pottery
similar to a hemisphere jar found in the Mado nos. 1 and 2. A fortress is assumed to be built in the
middle of thirteenth century. Except for this case, two or three pieces of mouth rim on the dark-brown
glazed potteries were discovered during the survey on the fortress in 1989. According to the distance, it
6
�can be interpreted that they were possibly imported through the maritime routes to Yongjang Fortress,
Jindo as one of the consumption sites of pottery in Haenam.
iv. Gwangju Town Wall (2006-2007): A hemisphere jar was found at the foundation for the pillar of
Goryeo town wall. The jar was originated from Haenam. This jar with dark-brown glaze was the first
discovery had ever been excavated on this site. This jar and its context suggest that the jar was possibly
used in some ritual practises after importing through land or maritime routes during food transportation
from Haenam.
v. Osik Island, Gunsan (2016): The site is discovered near the mouth of Geum River on the Osik Island
surrounded by dwellings with ondol1. Based on its location, there was the strategic point of maritime
routes and also assumed to be used as a temporary residence for sailors. A dark-brown glazed
hemisphere jar was discovered inside the fourth dwelling hypothesized to have been imported from the
mouth of Yeongsan River in Haenam.
vi. Stone Chamber Tomb in Neungnae-ri, Ganghwa (2006-2007): The site was a tomb for the first half
of the thirteenth century queen. A jar was placed on the northern side of the tomb. The jar is a darkbrown glazed hemisphere similar to the jars found from the Mado nos. 1 and 2. Other three jars buried
in the tomb were unglazed hemisphere jars. These jars were used as food storage at the castle, imported
through maritime routes to the temporary capital of Ganghwa Island and later recycled as tomb offerings.
vii. Yongjeong-ri, Ganghwa Island (2013-2017): During the construction of national highway through
east-west on northern Ganghwa Island, there are 37 features of Goryeo Dynasty, for example two
buildings and three wells were found at Yongjeong-ri. There are two dark-brown glazed hemisphere jars
in wells nos. 1 and 2. As they are only two jars of a hundred potteries, they are believed to be imported
jars from Haenam as food storage from maritime routes, similarly to the Stone Chamber Tomb in
Neungnae-ri.
viii. Bonghwang-dong, Gimhae: At Geumju near Bonghwang-dong during the Goryeo Dynasty, there
was a port city in continued use since the Three Kingdoms period (220 to 280 CE). Gimhae is where the
Goryeo Dynasty’s castle was located, it consisted of one dwelling and four buildings. At the dwelling
was discovered a dark-brown glazed hemisphere 25-litre jar (large-sized capacity). These two
hemisphere jars were similar to the jars recovered from the Mado nos. 1 and 2. More pottery were found
near the two castle jars but they were all unglazed. Based on this context, these two jars were considered
a special craft of the site and were imported for food storage transport through the maritime routes,
similarly to the Stone Chamber Tomb in Neungnae-ri.
So far, only kiln sites in Jinsan-ri, Sani-myeon, and Haenam-gun in the southwestern region of Korean
peninsula, among other 77 pottery kilns of Goryeo Dynasty in South Korea, were identified to be the
kilns for producing the dark-brown glazed potteries. In the waste layer near celadon producing kilns in
Jinsan-ri, there was discovered a number of those within this layer. Dark-brown jars were produced to
supply the Wando and the Mado no. 1 shipwrecks via Haenam. The production site of potteries for the
Wando shipwreck is the Jinsan-ri kilns. Mado no. 1 shipwreck potteries were associated with nine of 15
wooden tablets from Juksan-hyeon, near Jinsan-ri kiln.
Other archaeological evidence of dark-brown glazed jars indicates they were produced and supplied
from Haenam and imported for goods transportation. At the ritual sites on the Wolchul Mountain,
located 30 kilometres from Jinsan-ri kiln and Yongjang Fortress in Jindo, there were +10 glazed jars
and sherds. It can be deduced that both sites are possibly the consumption sites of potteries produced in
Jinsan-ri and imported via land and maritime routes. Additionally, one or two pieces of glazed
hemisphere jars were found from Osik Island of Gunsan, Stone Chamber Tomb in Neungnae-ri of
1
Underfloor heating system
7
�Ganghwa, Yongjeong-ri, Bonghwang-dong of Gimhae, and Gwangju Town Wall. All similar in size,
forms and decoration to jars found on the Mado no. 1 shipwreck. Moreover, we hypothesize the jars
were loaded on Mado no.1 as seafood transport from Haenam via maritime routes to each destination,
the jars were later reused in ritual practise or daily-life.
PORTS OF DEPATURE, SHIPMENT AND CALL OF DARK-BROWN GLAZED JARS
Among five shipwrecks where the dark-brown glazed jars were discovered, most of jars from the Wando
and the Mado no. 1 shipwreck were originated from the port of Haenam. The Taean, and Mado nos. 2
and 3 shipwrecks show different patterns. Four of eight jars from the Taean and six of 20 jars from the
Mado no. 2 are unglazed. One of 45 jars from the Mado no. 3 is dark-brown glazed jar. The wooden
tablets indicate the Taean carried the potteries of Tamjin-hyeon (currently Gangjin-gun), the Mado no.
2 carried the grains and the foods of Musong, Jangsa, Gochang and Gobu-gun (currently Gochang and
Jeongeup-si), and the Mado no. 3 carried the foods from the northern and eastern regions including
Yeosu-hyeon (Yeosu-si).
According to recovered location and condition, there is a seal made of herbaceous material on the darkbrown glazed jars found on the Mado no. 3. This evidence suggests the jars were used as a container for
food transportation. The jars found on the Mado no. 3 also different in form and production technique
from other jars, features of which represent jars loaded from some ports near Haenam.
Taean jars were likely for shipboard life. The jars on this shipwreck were possibly originated from the
port of Tamjin. In fact, similar jars were discovered at the Samheung-ri kiln, Gangjin. This suggests the
Taean home port was either Gangjin or Haenam. Perhaps it carried typical celadon a regional kiln
production.
Even though the port of departure or shipment of the Mado no. 2 were Gochang and Jeongeup. Around
60 per cent of pottery are glazed-pottery originated from Haenam. As mentioned above, the potteries
found in the shipwrecks can be divided into two different functions: Cargo and shipboard. Based on two
pieces of wooden tablets for foods found on the Mado no. 2, there are at least two jars originated from
the ports of Gochang and Jeongeup. In the Mado no. 2, four medium-sized (7-25 litres) unglazed jars
were presumed for food storage transportation. One of them was recovered near the wooden tablet for
foods. The kilns that produced unglazed potteries in the Goryeo Dynasty, such as Gyoun-ri kiln in
Gochang and Bugok-ri kiln, indicate the localized technology for potteries production. Unlike the
porcelain, the pottery in this period dedicated to short distant distribution and unglazed potteries
probably produced from Gochang Mountain.
In that case, why are potteries for shipboard life usually the dark-brown glazed potteries from Haenam?
Based on the home port of Mado no. 2, Gomso bay in Gochang and unglazed potteries were possibly
used as pottery for shipboard life. The potteries for shipboard life that originated from Haenam suggest
that vessel was assigned to transport cargos or it was possibly originated from the home port in Haenam.
The assumption that home port of the Mado no. 2 was Haenam. Wooden tablets indicate the Mado nos.
1 and 2, both showed almost the same hull structures. Seven of bottom planks were connected in the
almost the same way: trimmed timbers used for bottom part and trimming the planks with curved face
of log as the bottom planks and external planks. However, Daebudo no. 2, constructed from the second
half of the twelfth to the first half of thirteenth centuries, is similar to the Mado nos. 1 and 2 but the
connection methods of trimming timbers were fairly different, such as using L-shaped
Mangogjongtongjae (curved longitudinal knee) on the connected part of bottom and other externals.
8
�CONCLUSION
In Korea the cargo that has received the most attention from archaeologists are the wooden tablets, less
so the pottery. This paper demonstrates that pottery can be analysed and interpreted for information,
such as the identification for the ports of departure, call, and shipment. Based on the context of darkbrown glazed potteries from terrestrial archaeology excavation, the pottery kilns can be identified and
used in comparative analyse with shipwrecks pottery cargo.
Generally, the shipwrecks’ ports of departure were identified by celadon or green glazed pottery kilns,
that usually include wooden tablets. This research further supports these conclusions. In addition, the
Wando, Taean, and the Mado no. 1 were from the same port of departure. The Mado no. 2 port of
departure was likely Haenam, located 100 kilometres south of the shipping address written on the
wooden tablets. Similarly, the Mado no. 3 had single dark-brown glazed jars that indicates the jar was
loaded from some port near Haenam.
These results could likely change in future as more archaeological evidence is available. This study
places emphasis on the interdisciplinary analysis of tandem cargo artifacts as a holistic approach to the
reconstruction of maritime transportation in Medieval Korea.
Bibliography
Bureau of Cultural Property. Wando Underwater Artifacts. Seoul: Samhwa Printing, 1985 (In Korean).
National Maritime Museum. The Underwater Excavation of the Sea off Sibidongpado, Gunsan. Mokpo: National Maritime
Museum, 2005 (In Korean).
NRIMCH. Taean Treasure Ship-submarine Excavation. Mokpo: NRIMCH, 2009 (In Korean).
NRIMCH. Taean Mado Shipwreck No. 1 Underwater Excavation. Mokpo: NRIMCH, 2010 (In Korean).
NRIMCH. Taean Mado Shipwreck No. 2 Underwater Excavation. Mokpo: NRIMCH, 2011 (In Korean).
NRIMCH. Taean Mado Shipwreck No. 3 Underwater Excavation. Mokpo: NRIMCH, 2012 (In Korean).
NRIMCH. Ansan Daebudo Shipwreck No. 2 Underwater Excavation. Mokpo: NRIMCH, 2016 (In Korean).
Shin, Jongkuk. “The Characteristics of Shipwrecks in the Goryeo Period and the Study on Artifacts Recovered from Them”
PhD diss. Kongju National University, 2020. (In Korean)
9
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2023 Session 5: New Research Findings of Archaeological Ceramics from the Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region
Subject
The topic of the resource
Session 5 papers
Description
An account of the resource
Papers presented at Session 5 of the 2023 Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
November 2023
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Language
A language of the resource
English
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
A Study on the Production Sites of Potteries Excavated from Twelfth to Thirteenth Century Korean Shipwrecks
Description
An account of the resource
On the south-western coast of Korea lie 12 shipwrecks of the Goryeo Dynasty (tenth to fourteenth centuries). So
far, among recovered artifacts from shipwrecks, less attention was given to pottery, than wooden tablets. Our
research on pottery shows that different production techniques and features are distinctive by region. We expect
this to indicate ports of departure, call, and shipment. The production site was assumed by patterns of dark-brown
glazed pottery, which has distinctive techniques and features among the Goryeo pottery recovered from
shipwrecks. Possible imports from various regions were analysed, considering their provenience.
Ports of call have been usually presumed by production sites like celadon cargo indicated on wooden
tablets. Among five shipwrecks, three namely the Wando, Taean, and Mado no.1, suggest the same ports of
departure from previous analysis on celadons and wooden tablets. Port of departure for Mado no. 2 shipwreck is
argued to be Haenam, which is located roughly 100 kilometres to the south from the port of shipment stated on the
wooden tablets. Also, dark-brown glazed pottery, only one of which was discovered from Mado no.3, is assumed
to have been loaded when it was transferring and navigating near Haenam.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Jong-Kuk Shin
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023
Language
A language of the resource
English
Bibliographic Citation
A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible.
Shin, Jong-Kuk. 2023. “A Study on the Production Sites of Potteries Excavated from Twelfth to Thirteenth Century Korean Shipwrecks.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Juhee Kim. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1937
Asia-Pac Session 5 2023
-
https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/files/original/972e25a134b41b3b26a436e0e2971aac.pdf
a6e1585e3cc5b42e4cd57e138f83284d
PDF Text
Text
Si Satchanalai Ceramic Figurines from Klang Aow Shipwreck, Thailand: ideas,
Functions and Their Roles
Khongkamon
Rattapat
(Curator,
National
Maritime
Museum
in
Chanthaburi)
lonelymount@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Amongst the most remarkable commodities of Thailand on the maritime trade routes during the fourteenth to the
seventeenth centuries was Thai ceramics “Sangkhalok” (the ceramics characterised by green glazed, brown
glazed, and underglaze black stoneware produced from Si Satchanalai and Sukhothai kilns). They were made in
various shape, such as bowl, jar, plate and figurines. They are marked as one of the significant products found
from shipwrecks around Thai waters. The figurines were originated from Pa Yang kilns as one group of kiln at
the Si Satchanalai kiln complex; as it was also a dependency under the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) where
the people made ceramics by local materials and applied local wisdoms and handicraft skills to the ceramics. The
research materials for this paper focused on the 80 Si Satchanalai figurines recovered from the Klang Aow
shipwreck. The shipwreck date (cal. 1305–1420 CE) is based on the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) result
of a small bamboo sample stuck on the body of Si Satchanalai green glazed small bottle. This paper aims to find
out what was the manufacture purpose of these figurines, as they played a major role in Southeast Asian and East
Asian maritime trade networks during the fourteenth to the fifteenth centuries? The result indicates these figurines
were created at the Pa Yang village of Si Satchanalai kiln in Sukhothai province during the late fifteenth to the
sixteenth centuries, to meet the demand for religious activities and toys in folk theatre.
List of Figures
Figure 1 Seizing of Klang Aow shipwreck in 1992.
Figure 2 The human figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck
Figure 3 The animal figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck
INTRODUCTION
“Sankhalok” wares are one of the most remarkable commodities of Thailand dated to fourteenth to
sixteenth centuries. Typically, this type of stoneware ceramic originates from kilns in Sukhothai
province, especially Ko Noi and Pa Yang kilns. Located in Si Satchanalai city as a dependency under
the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438 CE). The kilns are well-known as Si Satchanalai or Sawankhalok
kiln complex and Turiang or Sukhothai kiln located in Sukhothai city, capital of the Sukhothai
Kingdom. All kilns are located outside of the city wall. Si Satchanalai kiln is located in the north along
the bank of the Yom River. While the Turiang kiln is located in the north of the city beside the Turiang
and the Phrapai Luang temples. Potters use the local clay as the main materials for ceramic production.
These ceramics have various shapes: bowl, jar, plate, dish, human and animal figurines. These are
decorated by slipping, incising, engraving, impressing, applying, painting and glazing.
These ceramics were the products which made high profits for Siam or Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–
1767 CE). Ayutthaya as the capital of the kingdom located in central Thailand along the Chao Phraya
River, which linked to the Gulf of Thailand - played the role as the middleman who linked the ceramic
productions and supplied the ceramics to maritime routes. Since the establishment of the kingdom,
Ayutthaya maintained a close relation with China, with diplomacy and tributary trade. However, the
international policies of Early Ming Dynasty affected the supply of Chinese ceramics for Southeast
Asia and were insufficient (Brown 2009,69-70). The international trade block under the emperors’
decree of Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE) made space in the market for Southeast Asian states,
1
�especially Ayutthaya and Dai Viet (now northern Vietnam) who already had their own ceramic
manufactures, to supply their products.
A word “Sankhalok” is a mispronunciation from a word “Sung-chiao-lo” in Chinese Mandarin or “Sung
ka lok” in Chinese Swatow (Shantou), but it is not possible to determine exactly when this word began
to be used (Plaicharnjit 2002, 287). In the sixteenth century, a word “Sunkoroku” was mentioned in the
Japanese records (Nelson 1965, 127). These words are mispronunciations that referred to the area called
Sawankhalok district, Sukhothai province where kilns are located. According to fourteenth-century
historical records of Ayutthaya Kingdom, Si Satchanalai referred to Sawankhalok (Kasetsiri 2002,8).
The collection for this paper comprises of 80 human and animal ceramic figurines recovered from the
Klang Aow shipwreck, which recently preserved in the storage of the National Maritime Museum in
Chanthaburi and the National Museum Storage in Pathum Thani. The paper aims to explain the details
of ceramic figurines, production sites and answer the research question: what was the manufacture
purpose of these figurines, as they played a major role in Southeast Asian and East Asian maritime trade
networks during the fourteenth to the fifteenth centuries?
KLANG AOW SHIPWRECK
The Klang Aow shipwreck was named after the location as a word “Klang Aow” meant the middle of
the Gulf of Thailand located at the latitude 11°37’N and longtitude 100°59’E, which is approximate 60
nautical miles from the coastline of Sattahip district, Chonburi province, (Vilaikaew 1992,8-33). In
February 1992, this shipwreck and its cargo were recovered by vessel named AHTS Australia Tide in
the Gulf of Thailand as Thai exclusive economic zone and Thai task force included Royal Thai Navy,
Thai Marine Police Division and the Fine Arts Department intercepted the vessel and seized 12,000
artifacts to be the national treasures of Thailand, protected by the National Act of Monuments, Artifacts,
Art Objects and National Museums (firstly announced in 1961 and revised in 1992). The origins of
these artifacts can be divided in to three different groups (Plaicharnjit 1992,34-37).
i.
ii.
iii.
Thai ceramics, especially Si Satchanalai, Sukhothai and Maenam Noi or Singburi ceramics
(97 per cent of all artifacts)
Vietnamese ceramics, especially Chu Dau blue-and-white wares (2.5 per cent of all
artifacts)
Chinese ceramics, especially Jingdezhen blue-and-white wares (0.5 per cent of all
artifacts).
The scientific date (1305–1420 CE from Beta Analytic Inc. 1999, Beta-134072) from Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry (AMS) is from a small bamboo piece stuck on the body of the Si Satchanalai green glazed
small bottle with two ring handles. This bamboo seems to be a part of ship structure or cargo hold
because of the concretion when the Klang Aow sunk. This feature was also found on a Maenam Noi or
Singburi jar.
2
�Figure 1 Thai task force on duty of seizing the recovered artifacts from Klang Aow shipwreck in 1992. (left)
Recovered artifacts from Klang Aow shipwreck during the seizing in 1992. (right)
(The Fine Arts Department of Thailand)
SI SATCHANALAI CERAMIC FIGURES FROM KLANG AOW SHIPWRECK
The human and animal figurines can be classified into four different types as follows.
i.
ii.
A man figurine with 28.8 centimetre height in the form of a man sitting on one of his knees
up and holding a poultry in the hands on the chest. His appearance shows a short hair with
moustache and beard on man face, wearing of the Chinese style dress (possibly an
overcoat), and holding of a poultry (possibly a bird or a cock) in the hands on the chest.
Inside the figurine is hollowed with a hole on the top of man head and another hole as the
poultry head. The glaze was eroded and concretion was occurred.
Two women figurines with 21 centimetre height in the form of woman sitting on her knees
and holding a basin on the shoulder. Her appearance shows a hair tied into the bun shape,
women face, wearing of the tube skirt with no upper-body cloth, and holding of basin on
the shoulder. The glaze was eroded and concretion was occurred.
3
�Figure 2 The human figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck, fourteenth to fifteenth centuries:
[top] man and [bottom] woman.
Chinese man carrying a poultry functioned as a water dropper. Woman carrying a basin functioned as a candle
holder. (National Maritime Museum in Chanthaburi)
iii.
iv.
41 small poultry figurines (possibly a cock or a quail) with 6.8 centimetre height, standing
on the rounded base. The head was sculpting as a beak, the eyes and wings were formed by
sculpting and applying, some were incising the detail of wing, and a tail was also sculpting
and applying.
34 small elephant figurines with 7.4 cm. standing. The figurines showed realistic details of
a head, eye, ear, and trunk by sculpting and applying.
4
�Figure 3 The animal figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck, fourteenth to fifteenth centuries. (top)
(National Maritime Museum in Chanthaburi)
The figurine in the form of an elephant from Klang Aow shipwreck, fourteenth to fifteenth centuries. (left)
The figurine in the form of a horse from Klang Aow shipwreck, fourteenth to fifteenth centuries. (right)
(National Museum Storage in Pathum Thani)
There are other animal figurines from the Klang Aow Shipwreck preserved in the National Museum
Storage in Pathum Thani: an elephant and a horse.
i.
ii.
An elephant figurine with 27 centimetre height with a mahout sitting on the neck, a howdah
on the back, and four warriors holding a sword and a shield protect at the elephant feet. The
glaze was eroded. concretion.
A horse figurine with 27 centimetre height with a horseman sitting on the neck and a bowl
affixing on the back, and four men holding a lotus flower standing at the horse feet. The
glaze was eroded. concretion.
Production site of figurines
The production site of these figurines can be identified by the comparative study between the
production, glazing and decoration techniques such as clay body textures, glazing characteristics, and
decoration or design styles. The sources for comparative study are the figurines preserved and on
display of the National Maritime Museum in Chanthaburi, National Museum, Bangkok (Chongkol
1999,91), Ramkamhaeng National Museum in Sukhothai, Sawanworanayok National Museum in
Sukhothai (Srisumang 1992,39–40), and the figurines discovered at kiln sites of Si Satchanalai.
Previous excavation at the kiln site by Don Hein (2001, 156–262) resulted the figurines and even the
architectural ornaments were produced at Pa Yang kiln, Si Satchanalai kiln complex within specific
kilns separated from other kilns for other utensils production. Additionally, the chronology of trade
ceramics recovered from the shipwrecks around Southeast Asian waters by Roxanna Brown (2009) and
Atthasit Sukkham (2016) suggest the figurines were supplied to maritime trade routes during the
fifteenth to sixteenth centuries.
Production process began by a preparation of local clay acquired from the riverbank nearby the kilns
where materials were mixed with the sands or stone pebbles. They were formed into various shapes
before they were decorated by slipping, incising, engraving, impressing, applying, and painting.
5
�The green or brown glaze was reactive of clay slip mixed with plant ash and silicate during firing in the
cross-draught kiln with temperatures around 1,200–1,300 degree Celsius (Hein 2001). The evidence of
these processes is supported by a large number of cross-draught kilns discovered in Ko Noi and Pa
Yang village of Si Satchanalai kiln on the riverbank of the Yom River (Nithiarchakul, Rattanawong
2022,73-82).
FUNCTIONS AND ROLES OF FIGURES
Functions of figurines from literature review
Generally, the manufacturing purposes of figurines produced at Si Satchanalai kiln can be reviewed as
follows:
i.
Beliefs and religions: especially the ceramic figurines in the form of a Sukhothai style
Buddha image in various postures, Ganesha (a deity in Hinduism influenced from Khmer
Empire), a man riding a swan and Norasingh (the man with the lion head in Hinduism
influenced from Khmer Empire) were produced related to this cultural aspect. These
figurines also represented the Buddhism and Hinduism in Sukhothai Kingdom associated
the both religious temples around the capital (Vudhaditya 1984,78-89).
Some utensils were built in the same form of figurines or attached by sculpted figurines, especially
an incense burner, kendi in the form of a deity riding on a swan, water dropper in the form of a man
holding a jar or other animal, and a candle holder in the form of a cup or a basin attaching on the
back of various kinds of animal. The incense burners, kendis, water droppers and candle holders
can be considered to be the utensils used in religious activities, such as pouring a scared water or
burning a candle in front of Buddha image (Sukkham 2016).
Additionally, most common characteristic of figurines discovered from excavation is the figurines
in the forms of a man or a woman with headless which was referred to the intention of the figurine
head as a ritual practise for protecting from the sickness or bad spirits (Vudhaditya 1984). Some
scholars also believed that this form of headless figurine was accidentally broken in the
archaeological deposit because the part of figurine neck was softer than other parts (Sukkham
2016).
ii.
iii.
Household items: some other cultural aspects may occur in the figurines, such as the
figurines in the form of a man carrying a container on his head (Suzata and Srisuchat et al
2022, 290), a humpbacked elder carrying a jar by one hand beside the body as seen in the
museum collection of Ramkhamhang National Museum in Sukhothai (Suzata and Srisuchat
et al 2022,306).
Playing equipment: the figurines can be used as toys or games for children. A piece of
ceramic chess glazed by the white and brown color (Ram Khamhang National Museum
exhibition) has been unearthed during an excavation at Si-Satchanalai old palace.
Function of figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck
The figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck can be considered as bespoke or on-demand manufacture. A
lot of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai ceramics were found in many shipwrecks sank around Southeast
6
�Asia. For example, the Turiang shipwreck sank near the coast of Malaysia there are approximately
3,735 of 6,475 ceramics identified to be Siamese ceramics included Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai, and
Suphan Buri or also-called Bang Poon ceramics associated with Chinese and Vietnamese ceramics
dated cal. 1305–1435 CE (Sjostrand 2001,101). Similarly, Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai ceramics have
also been found in the shipwrecks sank in the Philippines waters, notable on the Pandanan, the Lena
Shoal and Santa Cruz dated in the mid-fifteenth to early sixteenth centuries (Orillaneda 2016,85-88),
and the San Isidro and the Kanduli dated in the sixteenth century (Orillaneda 2021).
The excavation at Calatagan peninsula, Batangas province, Luzon Island in the Philippines revealed the
Si Satchanalai jarlets in Calatagan burial site dated in the fifteenth century (Fox 1959,355). Moreover,
the figurines in the form of an elephant were found in Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Kalimantan, Indonesia
dated to the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries (Kerdpanyawat 1987,32). While fragments of glazed
figurines in the form of an elephant were recovered from the Brunei shipwreck, dated late fifteenth to
the early sixteenth centuries (Maidin 2017,173).
A man figurine found in the Klang Aow is likely a Chinese man carrying a poultry. This style was
possibly influenced from Chinese’s zodiac god figurines discovered in the Ming tomb, where the
figurine in the form of Chinese man carrying a cock was found (The Barakat Gallery 2013,118) (Fig
3).
Based on the characteristics of this figurine that has the hollow body, holes at the top of man and poultry
heads, it can be indicated that the function of this figurine was the water dropper for pouring a sacred
water.
In Vietnam, there are the blue-and-white figurines with 28 centimetre height have been found. It
illustrated the man sitting on knees and holding the vessel dated to the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries
(Stevenson and Guy 1997,369). Other small blue-and-white figurines originated from kiln site in
Vietnam was to be a rabbit or a frog with 3-4 centimetre height and 4-5 centimetre length. In the middle
of figurine body has punched holes around 0.7-1 centimetre diameter. These Vietnamese figurines can
be identified as a water dropper. The dating and function were related to the figurines found in the Klang
Aow.
The figurines in the form of a women carrying a cup on her shoulder, an elephant with a howdah on its
back (Chongkol 1999,91) and a horse with a cup on its back (Watcharangkul 2002,129) (Figs 2, 3) show
the traces of use that are probably functioned as a candle holder for using in the religious activity in the
households or temples. All of them were attached a small cup that used to hold the candle.
The figurines used as a candle holder or an incense burner previously appeared in Chinese ceramic
figurines since Western Jin Dynasty (fifth to sixth centuries). This represented by sacred animals with
some forms of vessel on their back (Valenstein 1989,52). There are some figurines from Si Satchanalai
kiln were produced in the Chinese stylistics, such as a Chinese wearing officer hat, dressing the Chinese
monk outfit (Sukkham 2016). These characteristics also appeared on the figurines found in the Klang
Aow especially the appearances, postures, and outfits that can be considered to be Chinese style.
According to this reason, figurine production at Si Satchanalai kiln has also been influenced by the
Chinese craftsmanship.
The duplication can also be seen on animal figurines in the form of a swan and an elephant from the
Klang Aow (Figs 3). Those were indicated the mass production of these forms of figurine. Additionally,
the animal figurines were formed as various kinds of animal in mass production scale, such as quail,
7
�ox, cow and monkey, for example, which discovered from archaeological sites and were transferred to
display at the national museums around Thailand. Undoubtedly, they were recognised as a indigenous
or domesticated animals, (Suzata and Srisuchat et al. 2022,301-304). Although these forms of figurine
are commonly found especially in the terrestrial sites around central Thailand, they are found in small
amount from the shipwrecks around Southeast Asia. According to the quantity in shipwreck context,
these forms of figurine are probably gifts, souvenirs, or collectibles for their consumers at the ports of
call or destination.
Commercial role of figurines from Klang Aow shipwreck
Since the fourteenth century the Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai ceramic trade was incorporated with
Ayutthaya Kingdom. According to Ayutthaya historical records mentioned that the trade and diplomacy
with other country were managed by Ayutthaya royal court. The trades in South China Sea and even
Southeast Asian waters had directly manipulated by Chinese merchants and diplomats who were
probably conducted a close connection with the Ayutthaya royal court under the Chinese-Ayutthaya
tributary trade system (Kasetsiri 2002,42-43).
According to the ban on the international trade in Early Ming Dynasty, many Chinese merchant junks
active in the South China Sea stuck and smuggled in Southeast Asia. Some Chinese immigrants who
stayed in Ayutthaya had received a job opportunity for high-ranked officers worked in Ayutthaya royal
court. In the Ryukyu Kingdom, a trade archive named “Rekidai Hoan” (precious documents of
successive generations) recorded that one of the royal letters mentioned the correspondence between
Ayutthaya and Ryukyu was written in Chinese language by an overseas Chinese who stayed in
Ayutthaya (Ichii and Yoshikawa 1999,42).
Before the Ming ban, most of the Southeast Asian states consumed the ceramics from China for a long
period of history. During the late fourteenth to the mid-fifteenth centuries, the Chinese ceramics were
deemed for domestic market only. This was an important opportunity for the Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai,
Vietnamese, and Burmese ceramics. It raised their supply to maritime trade routes in Southeast Asian
market. The ceramics from Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and others were acquired by those Chinese
merchants because they knew well about market demands. Other reason is the Sukhothai and Si
Satchanalai ceramic form and decoration had influence from Chinese and Vietnamese ceramic
productions. The Ming Dynasty removed the ban for international trade and the Chinese ceramics were
returned to Southeast Asian market from mid-fifteenth century onwards. Then, new forms and
decorations of Si Satchanalai ceramics were created during the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries, such as
the two-colour glazed wares, architectural ornaments, and especially the figurines.
CONCLUSION
The shipwreck contexts ceramic characteristics and quantity of the figurines from Klang Aow
shipwreck demonstrated a context of figurines originated from Si Satchanalai kiln during the fifteenth
to sixteenth centuries
The AMS date result from the fourteenth to fifteenth century of the shipwreck suggested the dating of
figurines between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This also represented the cultural pattern on
ceramic trade during this time. There was the mixed cargo between Chinese, Vietnamese, Maenam Noi
or Singburi, Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai. Ceramics were spread around the South China Sea and the
8
�Islands of Southeast Asia. This is supported by several types of evidence, especially the ceramics
recovered from both shipwrecks and terrestrial sites.
According to the identification result of the sources of influence and functions for figurines found from
the Klang Aow, it can be suggested that the figurines were used as the utensils and household appliances
for some ritual practises. They were also considered that the Chinese and Vietnamese figurines were
the sources of influence for Si Satchanalai figurine production and remarked that the figurine production
was a new creation became a mass production to compete with the return of Ming ceramics to Southeast
Asian market.
Bibliography
Beta Analytic Inc. Report of Radiocarbon Dating Analyses of BETA-134072 from Klang Ao, Thailand. Florida: Beta Analystic
Inc., 1999.
Boonma, Payup. The Guide to Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. Sukhothai: The 5th Archaeology Unit and the Office of
National Museum Office, the Fine arts Department, the Ministry of Education, 2002.
Brown, Roxanna Maude. The Ming Gap and Shipwreck Ceramics in Southeast Asia: towards a chronology of Thai trade ware.
Bangkok: Siam Society, 2009.
Chongkol, Jira. The Guide to National Museum Bangkok, 4th Edition. Bangkok: The Office Archaeology and the Office of
National Museum, the Fine arts Department, the Ministry of Education ,1999.
Fox, Robert B. “The Calatagan Excavations: Two 15th Century Burial Sites in Batangas, Philippines.” Philippine Studies 7,
no. 3 (1959): 321-390.
Hein, Don. “The Sawankhalok Ceramic Industry: from domestic enterprise to regional entrepreneur.” PhD diss., Deakin
University, 2001.
Ichii, Yoneo and Yoshikawa, Toshiharu. 600 Years Thai-Japan Relationship, 2nd Edition, edited by Chanwit Kasetsiri and
Saicho Wannarat. Bangkok: The Foundation for the Promotion of Social Sciences and Humanities Textbooks Project,
1999. (In Thai)
Kasetsiri, Chanwit. Siam Commerce: essay on trade and commerce of ancient Siam. Bangkok: Toyota Thailand Foundation,
2001. (In Thai)
Kerdpanyawat, Boonchai. “The Export of Sangkhalok during 14th-17th Century.” BA thesis, Silpakorn University, 1987. (In
Thai)
Kunasarn, Pacharee and Sanorlum, Wachatanee. “Terracotta Figurines from Sri Mahosot.” Muang Boran Journal 16, no. 2
(1990): 141. (In Thai)
Maidin, Hanapi Haji. “Thai Ceramics Found in Brunei Darussalam.” In Past, Present and Future of ASEAN Maritime
Heritage, edited by Sira Ploymukda, Wongsakorn Rahothan, Kalangpangha Kiawmas and Napat Piromrak, 158-187.
Chanthaburi: Underwater Archaeology Division, the Fine Arts Department, the Ministry of Culture, 2017.
Nishioka, Hideo. A Chorological History between Japan and Thailand. Tokyo: Keio University Press, 1977
Nithiarchakul, Thaninthorn and Rattanawong, Varaporn. “Sisatchanalai Kilns and Sangkhalok Wares.” In The Endless Epic
of Japanese-Thai Ceramic Relationship in the World's Trade and Culture, edited by Yukio Suzata and Amara Srisuchat
et al.,73-81. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department, 2022.
Orillaneda, Bobby C. “Maritime Trade in the Philippines during the 15th Century CE.” Moussons 27 (special volume: The
Sea Beyond all Borders: The Link between Southeast Asian Countries, 2016): 83-100.
9
�Orillaneda, Bobby C. “Thailand Sawankhalok Ceramics Found in Philippine Shipwrecks (dated from the 15th to 16th centuries
CE).” Yodisphere, 9 February 2021. https://www.yodisphere.com/2021/02/Sawankhalok-Ceramics.html.
Plaicharnjit, Sayan. “Current Movement of Underwater Archaeology in Thailand and Its Application to the History of
Maritime Trade during the 13th to 18th Century A.D.” Silpakorn Journal 35, no. 2 (1992): 34-67.
Saisingh, Sakchai. Dvaravati Art: the early of religious culture in Thailand. Bangkok: Muang Boran Press, 2019. (In Thai)
Sjostrand, Sten and Barnes, Claire. “Turiang: a fourteenth-century Chinese shipwreck upsetting Southeast Asian ceramic
history.” Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 1, no. 280 (2001): 71-109.
Spinks, Charles Nelson. The Ceramic Ware of Siam. Bangkok: The Siam Society, 1965.
Srisumang, Surasak. The Guide to Sawanworanayok National Museum, 2nd Edition. Bangkok: The Office of National Museum,
the Fine Arts Department, the Ministry of Education, 1992.
Stevenson, John, Guy, John and Cort, Loiuse Allison. Vietnamese Ceramics: a separate tradition. Chicago: Art Media
Resources, 1997.
Stroeber, Eva. “Ceramic Water Dropper in the Collection of the Princessehof: fancy shapes, surprising uses.” Aziatische Kunst
46, no. 1 (2016): 41–49.
Sukkham, Atthasit. “Si Satchanalai Figurines: a reconstruction of ancient daily life, beliefs and environment”. The 2nd
SEAMEO SPAFA Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology, Bangkok, 31 May 2016.
Suzata, Yukio and Srisuchat, Amara et al. The Endless Epic of Japanese-Thai Ceramic Relationship in The World's Trade and
Culture. Bangkok : The Fine Arts Department, 2022.
Thammapreechakorn, Pariwat. Lertlit, Sawang and Pinsri, Krissada. The Art of Ceramic in Thailand. Bangkok: Osotsapa,1996.
The
Barakat Gallery.
Chinese Art Ming Dynasty 1368AD–1644AD,
https://issuu.com/fayezbarakat/docs/catalog_chineseart_ming.
accessed
25
June
2023,
Valenstein, Zuzanne G. A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics. 2nd Edition. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989.
Vilaikaew, Jaluk. “Cultural Heritage from Underwater: the "Ao-Thai I" or the "Klang-Ao" junk.” Silpakorn Journal 35, no.
2 (1992): 8-32.
Vudhaditya, Vijjuta. “A Study on Style and Concept of Sangkalok Figurines.” MA thesis, Silpakorn University, 1984. (In
Thai)
Watcharangkul, Erbprem. The Thai Maritime History. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department, the Ministry of Education, 2001.
(In Thai)
10
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2023 Session 5: New Research Findings of Archaeological Ceramics from the Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region
Subject
The topic of the resource
Session 5 papers
Description
An account of the resource
Papers presented at Session 5 of the 2023 Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
November 2023
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Language
A language of the resource
English
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Si Satchanalai Ceramic Figurines from Klang Aow Shipwreck, Thailand: ideas,
Functions and Their Roles
Description
An account of the resource
Amongst the most remarkable commodities of Thailand on the maritime trade routes during the fourteenth to the
seventeenth centuries was Thai ceramics “Sangkhalok” (the ceramics characterised by green glazed, brown
glazed, and underglaze black stoneware produced from Si Satchanalai and Sukhothai kilns). They were made in
various shape, such as bowl, jar, plate and figurines. They are marked as one of the significant products found
from shipwrecks around Thai waters. The figurines were originated from Pa Yang kilns as one group of kiln at
the Si Satchanalai kiln complex; as it was also a dependency under the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) where
the people made ceramics by local materials and applied local wisdoms and handicraft skills to the ceramics. The
research materials for this paper focused on the 80 Si Satchanalai figurines recovered from the Klang Aow
shipwreck. The shipwreck date (cal. 1305–1420 CE) is based on the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) result
of a small bamboo sample stuck on the body of Si Satchanalai green glazed small bottle. This paper aims to find
out what was the manufacture purpose of these figurines, as they played a major role in Southeast Asian and East
Asian maritime trade networks during the fourteenth to the fifteenth centuries? The result indicates these figurines
were created at the Pa Yang village of Si Satchanalai kiln in Sukhothai province during the late fifteenth to the
sixteenth centuries, to meet the demand for religious activities and toys in folk theatre.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Khongkamon Rattapat
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023
Language
A language of the resource
English
Bibliographic Citation
A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible.
Rattapat, Khongkamon. “Si Satchanalai Ceramic Figurines from Klang Aow Shipwreck, Thailand: ideas, Functions and Their Roles. 2023.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Atthasit Sukkham. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1938
Asia-Pac Session 5 2023