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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Archaeological Excavation of the 10th Century Intan Shipwreck

The Archaeological Excavation of the 10th Century Intan Shipwreck

Flecker, Michael

Paperback

Series: BAR International, Book 1047

ArchaeologyTravel General

ISBN10: 1841714283
ISBN13: 9781841714288
Publisher: British Archaeological Reports
Published: Oct 10 2002
Pages: 163
Weight: 1.24
Height: 0.46 Width: 8.27 Depth: 11.69
Language: English

In 1997 the author excavated a shipwreck in the north-western reaches of the Java Sea, Indonesia. It became known as the Intan Wreck due to its close proximity to the Intan Oil Field. The wreck has been dated early to mid-10th century through Chinese coin dates, stylistic analysis of ceramics, and radiocarbon dating. While the structure of the shipwreck has all but disappeared, enough fragments remained for timber identification and a glimpse at construction techniques. These clues, together with cargo types and wreck location, strongly indicate an Indonesian ship of lashed-lug construction. From cargo distribution the Intan ship may have been as long as 30 m. The abundance of surviving cargo stands in stark contrast to the fragmentary hull remains. A total of 6,154 non-ceramic artefacts and 7,309 ceramic artefacts were logged over the course of the excavation. Materials are as diverse as bronze, lead, silver, iron, tin, gold, glass, ceramic, stone, and organics. Origins are as far afield as China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Such diversity is a clear indication of entrepot trade, the most likely port of lading being the Srivijayan capital, Palembang. Considering the wreck location and the large base metal component, the Intan ship could only have been bound for metal deficient Java.

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