Video interview with Session 8 chair Atthasit Sukkham.
Trade ceramics have usually been found together with other evidence in many ancient shipwrecks, harbours, ports, trade centers, hinterlands and burials around the world which were linked to international maritime trade routes. These were specifically Chinese, Indian, Southeast Asian, Middle East and European trade routes over a long period of history. Trade ceramics are virtually indestructible. They are also one of the most important sources of information for maritime archaeological studies concerning the dating of ceramics and shipwrecks, origins of ceramics, points of departure and destinations of ships and shipments, for instance. This session aims to provide an opportunity for specialists to contribute their knowledge on trade ceramics in multi-disciplinary approaches and foster international collaboration for ceramic studies from the shipwrecks, harbours, ports and related archaeological sites in near future.
Atthasit Sukkham, Sharon Wong Wai Yee, and Ngo The Bach
6/11/2014
Ayutthayan Port Towns and Ceramics Trading in Southern Thailand
Between 1350 and 1767 CE, the Ayutthaya Kingdom became one of the most important trading centers in the region and a magnet for explorers, missionaries, ambassadors and merchants from around the world, specifically from China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe. Crucial to its success was the location of the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom on the Chao Phraya River Basin and its territories in the northern, northeastern, western, and especially the southern region. The southern region is situated on the Malay Peninsula which the peninsula lies between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, and has long been a vital strategic and communications link. Archaeological evidence and historical records reveal that the important Ayutthayan port towns in the southern region are comprised of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chaiya, Thalang, Songkhla and Pattani. A lot of Ayutthayan infrastructure, religious artworks and utensils, such as temples, fortresses, town walls, Buddha images, rock art and mural paintings, as well as trade ceramics were found there. The trade ceramics found in these five port towns were from northern Thailand, Vietnam and China and they were used for architectural decorations, luxury goods and kitchen utensils.
Atthasit Sukkham, in Van Tilburg, H., Tripati, S., Walker Vadillo, V., Fahy, B., and Kimura, J. (eds.)
5/15/2014
Discovery of Ceramics from the Koh Sdach Shipwreck, Koh Kong province, Cambodia
In February 2006 fishermen discovered a shipwreck off the southwest coast of the Kiri Sakor district, Koh Kong province in 30 m of water approximately 20 km west from Koh Sdeach. Charred timber found at the shipwreck site and large irregular globs of melted metal which encase pottery pieces appear to indicate that the ship burned before sinking. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the Shipwreck Research and Salvage Committee obtained the collection, which includes cooking pots with lids, storage jars with four loop-handles of different sizes, basins, bottles, kendi, dishes, plates, mortars and porcelain and celadon bowls. During our examination of the collection we selected a representative sample of 88 pieces of ceramics. Among the recovered material we found two pieces of lacquered covered box. While the designs on the lacquered surfaces were quite faded, the basketry core was in perfect condition. The calibrated date was from 1428 to 1482 AD (95% probability). The preliminary analysis of ceramics indicates that they could originate from the Mae Nam Noi kilns in Singbori province and the Si Satchanalai kilns in Sukhothai province, both in Thailand. Furthermore, the same type of storage jars with four handles has been found in the Cardamom Mountain, in Cambodia, where they have been used for burials. In this presentation I will discuss the preliminary analysis of the material and the different ways in which the site is connected to maritime trade routes in the gulf of Thailand and mainland Southeast Asia.
Tep Sokha, in Van Tilburg, H., Tripati, S., Walker Vadillo, V., Fahy, B., and Kimura, J. (eds.)
5/15/2014
Vietnamese Ceramics in Asian Maritime Trade between 14th and 17th centuries
Vietnam is one of many Asian countries that have a long-standing and famous tradition of pottery production. Vietnam is also one of three countries including China, Vietnam, and Japan which exported ceramics developed to other countries. The 14th century was marked by the initial penetration of Vietnamese ceramics for foreign markets. The 15th century was considered as a prosperous period for Vietnamese export ceramics with the largest export quantity and the most abundant types thereof. The 16th century marked as a pause in the export of Vietnamese ceramics. The 17th century was the development period of commodity economy and the renaissance period of ports located in the northern and central parts of Vietnam. The article reviewed the findings regarding Vietnamese ceramics in Japan, West Asia, mainland, and insular Southeast Asia in order to partially reconstruct the historical context and the flow of Vietnamese export ceramics for the international maritime trade routes in the Vietnamese history of international trades from 14th to 17th centuries. Given that, the author pointed out the origin, chronology of the Vietnamese ceramics discovered from the relics as well as market context thereof and the destinations of Vietnamese export ceramics.
Ngo The Bach, in Van Tilburg, H., Tripati, S., Walker Vadillo, V., Fahy, B., and Kimura, J. (eds.)
5/15/2014
Identifying ‘Islamic Motif’ on Chinese blue and white Porcelain recovered from the 15th century shipwrecks in the Philippines
This research is based on the raw data of a Master’s thesis that aims to identify Islamic motifs on Chinese blue-and-white porcelains recovered from the 15th century archaeological sites in the Philippines. A stylistic analysis of Chinese porcelains recovered from both underwater and terrestrial sites will be conducted so that the main aims of the thesis will be attained. The Master’s thesis aims to answer questions that concern: a) the participation of the Philippines during the 15th century maritime trade; and b) determine the possible indications of the presence and/or absence of the porcelains. Large amounts of Chinese ceramics have been found in Philippine sites dating from the late 9th to the early 12th centuries, and the 14th-18th centuries. Some Chinese blue-and-white porcelains recovered from Philippine archaeological sites were preliminarily identified to have Islamic motifs, however these were only initial descriptions. The Master’s thesis aims to verify the preliminary analyses. The main objective of this paper is analysis the blueandwhite porcelains recovered from following shipwrecks of the 15th century: Lena Shoal shipwreck, Española underwater site, and Pandanan shipwreck in Palawan, Philippines as well as Santa Cruz shipwreck in Zambales, Philippines. Using the collated motifs from already established ‘Islamic’ art a criteria and checklist was formulated to illustrate the presence of the motifs in Chinese blueandwhite porcelain from the abovementioned underwater sites. The initial results of this research will reveal that porcelains recovered in the Philippines are comparable to those found in West Asia, contrary to some past studies.
Andrea Natasha E. Kintanar, in Van Tilburg, H., Tripati, S., Walker Vadillo, V., Fahy, B., and Kimura, J. (eds.)
5/15/2014