Underwater and Maritime Heritage Discovered on the “Spice Route” Ternate-Tidore Islands, North Mollucas

Underwater and Maritime Heritage Discovered on the “Spice Route” Ternate-Tidore Islands, North Mollucas

Ternate and Tidore in the North Mollucas Islands, Mollucas Province, Indonesian Archipelago have a critical role as the main sources of clove and nutmeg in the “Spice Routes” global trading network. These exotic and valuable commodities have attracted the Spaniards and Portuguese to find the sea routes to Ternate and Tidore in the 1500s and followed by Dutch and British. Underwater and maritime archaeological research conducted by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia in 2019 and 2021 aimed to study underwater heritage sites and historical maritime heritage from 16-17 century AD located in Ternate-Tidore Islands. Survey activities include SCUBA diving to search for and observe shipwreck sites, a bathymetry survey to map the depth and the contour of the seafloor, and spatial mapping of maritime heritage located in the coastline. Of the survey, 2 underwater sites were discovered. Soasio site is located at 15-20 m deep and Tongowai site at a depth of 37-42 m. The underwater remains in Soasio consist of blue-white Chinese ceramic from 2 different imperial periods of the Ming Dynasty, earthenware jars and ewers probably produced in Thailand. Meanwhile, Portuguese cannons manufactured in Macao and earthenware jars were found in Tongowai Site. The findings of underwater heritage sites in Soasio and Tongowai and the presence of several historical landmarks in Ternate and Tidore including the landing site of Trinidad and Victoria ships of Ferdinan Magellan-Juan Sebastian Elcano Expedition of Circumnavigation of the Earth are the physical evidence of the essential role of Ternate-Tidore in the maritime history of Indonesia and international commerce network in the Spice Route and Maritime Silk Route.

Nia N. H. Ridwan

Wisnu A. Gemilang

Ulung J. Wisha

Guntur A. Rahmawan

Onggo F. Nichita

Agus Sudaryadi

Laila A. Jalil

Irwansyah

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

November 2021

Ridwan, Nia N. H., Wisnu A. Gemilang, Ulung J. Wisha, Guntur A. Rahmawan, Onggo F. Nichita, Agus Sudaryadi,
Laila A. Jalil, and Irwansyah. 2021. “Underwater and Maritime Heritage Discovered on the “Spice Route”
Ternate-Tidore Islands, North Mollucas.” Edited by Brian Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and
Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage:
Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology URL:
https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/688

Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage