Archaeologists recovered more than 14,000 relics from one of China's most significant maritime artifact, the Nanhai 1 (South China Sea 1). 

Nanhai 1 is the first vessel to be found in the Marine Silk Road and dates back to the Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Experts believe that strong waves caused its sinking.

Like Us on Facebook

Mostly porcelain artifacts were found inside the ship such as plates, bowls, bottles, and pots that were made in the province of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi which were then known as Jiangnanxi.

"Some personal belongings such as bracelets, rings, and necklaces were also discovered. These suggest that the vessel had a certain number of merchants and passengers aboard," Sun Jian, technical director of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said on Saturday. 

Liu added that they also found several items with names of shops and places. 17,000 copper coins, along with hundreds of gold, silver, and copper items were also salvaged. 

"The cargo composition of the vessel is clearer and the diversity is rich," said Liu Chengji, deputy head of the Guangdong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Best-preserved merchant ship

Nanhai No. 1 is the oldest and biggest ship of its kind, measuring 30.4-meter long and 9.8-meter wide. 

After two decades since it was discovered in 1987 by English explorers, the Chinese government finally raised Nanhai 1 to the surface from a depth of 30 meters in 2007. Unesco has compared its importance to that of Xian's terracotta warriors. 

Before its full-scale excavation in 2013, 200 pieces of porcelain, Song coins, and 130 kilos of silver bars were found. Now, more than 80,000 relics were recovered overall. It now lies at the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum, also known as the Nanhai No.1 Museum in Yangjiang. It is submerged in the Crystal Palace that contains 12 meters of seawater of the same quality, temperature, and environment where it was originally found. 

TagsShipwreck, Nanhai 1, artifacts, biggest ancient ship, oldest ship