Belitung shipwreck
Off Belitung Island, Indonesia
What happened
Around 830 CE, an Arab sailing ship called a dhow was returning from China, loaded with goods to trade. It sank in shallow water about 1.6 km off Belitung Island, in what is now Indonesia. It carried about 60,000 Chinese ceramic bowls and jars, along with gold and silver objects and spices.
Why it matters
It is the first ancient Arab ship of this kind ever found and excavated. It shows that ships sailed between China and the Middle East more than 1,000 years ago, along a sea route sometimes called the Maritime Silk Road.
What came next
Singapore bought the cargo in 2005, and it is displayed at the Asian Civilisations Museum. Some archaeologists criticized the recovery as too rushed, saying important information about the wreck was lost.
Did you know?
One of the bowls has the date 826 CE written on it, and scientists later confirmed that date by testing star anise spice found in the wreck.
Timeline
- 826 CEA bowl in the cargo is marked with this date.
- c. 830 CEThe dhow sinks off Belitung Island.
- 1998Local fishermen find the wreck.
- 2005Singapore buys the cargo.
- 2011The Smithsonian postpones a planned US exhibition after criticism of the salvage.