An important moment in the history of Chinese archaeology!

Meet in the Thousand-meter Deep Blue to Explore the Relics of the Maritime Silk Road: A Record of the First Phase of Archaeological Survey of the No. 1 and No. 2 Shipwrecks on the Northwest Slope of the South China Sea

In the early morning of the 11th, with the arrival of the "Exploration No. 1" research vessel in Sanya, the first phase of the archaeological survey of the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwrecks on the northwest slope of the South China Sea was successfully completed.

It took more than 20 days and 21 dives to conduct an unprecedented archaeological survey. After more than 500 years of waiting, the mysterious ancient shipwreck met the deep-sea archaeological team under the vast blue waves.

Opening a new chapter in deep-sea archaeology

May 20, 2023, at a depth of about 1,500 meters on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea.

Aboard the manned submersible Deep Sea Warrior, Chinese cultural relics workers laid permanent underwater mapping base points on the seabed, marking the official start of this survey and the beginning of a new chapter in my country's deep-sea archaeology.

This is an important moment in the history of Chinese archaeology.

On the morning of October 23, 2022, the Deep Sea Warrior was carrying out its 500th dive mission. In the mother ship's cabin, the underwater acoustic communication system suddenly heard the submariner's exclamation from the bottom of the sea: "A large number of pottery jars were found!" "Tens of thousands!"

This is the interior of the No. 1 shipwreck on the northwest slope of the South China Sea (photo taken in October 2022). Xinhua News Agency

Nearly seven months later, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Hainan Provincial People's Government and others released the following news:

Two Ming Dynasty shipwrecks were discovered in the South my country Sea, named South China Sea Northwest Slope Shipwreck No. 1 and South China Sea Northwest Slope Shipwreck No. 2. They are relatively well preserved and their ages are relatively clear. Among them, the cultural relics of Shipwreck No. 1 are mainly ceramics, scattered over an area of ​​more than 10,000 square meters, and the estimated number is more than 100,000 pieces; a large number of logs were found in Shipwreck No. 2.

Yan Yalin, director of the Archaeology Department of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said: "This major discovery confirms the historical fact that Chinese ancestors developed, utilized and traveled to the South China Sea. It has made a groundbreaking contribution to the study of China's maritime history, ceramic history, overseas trade history, and the Maritime Silk Road."

This is the interior of the No. 1 shipwreck on the northwest slope of the South China Sea (photo taken in October 2022). Xinhua News Agency

With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, a deep-sea archaeological team was jointly formed by the Archaeological Research Center of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China (Hainan) South China Sea Museum to conduct archaeological surveys in three phases.

The underwater permanent mapping base point placed in the southwest corner of the core accumulation area of ​​the No. 1 Shipwreck has become the benchmark for archaeological records and excavations.

This survey is fascinating -

Riding in a manned submersible, you can go down to depths that cannot be reached by conventional diving to investigate, record, and study the sites, extract cultural relics and samples, and witness the mountains of ceramics with your own eyes... Deep-sea shipwrecks provide archaeologists with extremely rare opportunities.

Behind this investigation is standardization and meticulousness——

Where should the underwater cultural relics be cleaned, how should they be transported, who is responsible for their safekeeping, which type of camera should be carried for recording during diving operations, whether there are enough hard drives for data storage and backup, the format of the team members' work diaries, and even how the underwater cultural relics and samples should be numbered... Every detail must be discussed carefully and finally determined.

On May 31, 2023, the "Exploration One" research vessel conducted the first phase of archaeological survey in the waters of the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwreck sites on the northwest slope of the South China Sea (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Duojiang)

"Unexpected situations may occur at any time. It will not be easy for every team member and the challenges are huge," said project leader Song Jianzhong.

Deep-sea archaeology is the forefront of underwater archaeological research in the world. Since the start of underwater archaeology in my country in 1987, most of the work has been concentrated in waters shallower than 40 meters.

In January 2018, the "Deep Sea Archaeology Joint Laboratory" was established in Sanya. In April 2018 and August 2022, two deep sea archaeological surveys were successfully carried out in the Beijiao waters of the Xisha Islands and the Xisha Trough, opening the door to the deep sea for my country's underwater archaeology.

People are eagerly waiting: Will there be any precious treasures beneath the deep blue for archaeological investigation?

Now, they have waited for this moment.

Science and archaeology go hand in hand

"At 8 o'clock, visibility is level 7, southeast wind is level 3, waves are level 2..." The crew on duty of "Exploration One" calmly recorded the navigation log.

On the deck, the submersible is prepared, the A-frame is tested, the small boat is deployed, the cables are hung and unhooked... the "Deep Sea Warrior" is ready to set off, and the work of each department is closely linked, like precisely designed gears meshing tightly together.

The submersible untied the cable connecting the Deep Sea Warrior manned submersible to the Exploration One research vessel, preparing for the Deep Sea Warrior manned submersible to dive (Photo taken on May 26, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Xiaoxu

There are about 30 members of the deep-sea archaeological team participating in this phase of the investigation. They come from the fields of archaeology, cultural relics protection, geophysical exploration, marine geology, marine biology, mechanical electronics, etc. They are divided into 6 groups to complete the investigation tasks.

The collaborative work of the six groups is a vivid portrayal of science and technology going hand in hand with archaeology.

They share with each other -

"We will carry out our work in strict accordance with the underwater archaeological work procedures, and use the underwater permanent mapping base points as a benchmark to conduct three-dimensional laser scanning, photographic stitching, image recording, and classified extraction of cultural relics." Deputy team leader Deng Qijiang "popularized" archaeological knowledge to scientists.

"We can collect sediment and enriched water samples near different media to conduct research on sediment flux and isotope chemistry. We can also carry out high-throughput sequencing and microbial culture to understand the microbial communities in the environment and assess the possible impact of related microorganisms on cultural relics." Chen Shun, an associate researcher at the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced his work plan.

After completing the underwater investigation that day, the manned submersible "Deep Sea Warrior" carrying the archaeological team surfaced (photo taken on May 27, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Xiaoxu

They argued passionately—

Archaeologists said: "Don't rush to extract the cultural relics. We need to restore the historical process of the ship's sinking and locate the distribution of the cultural relics more accurately."

Scientists said: "Location of underwater sites at the sub-meter level and mapping at the centimeter level? This question is beyond the scope of the curriculum!"

They "fought" side by side -

During each 8 to 9-hour dive, archaeologists concentrate on observation, recording and analysis, while the submariner carries out laser ruler measurement, multi-angle image acquisition, and operates robotic arms to extract cultural relics and samples according to the archaeologists' requirements.

"The challenge is that there is no second chance for many jobs. For example, when retrieving cultural relics, improper operation will cause irreparable regrets," said Li Hangzhou, a submariner. "Our submariner team carried out this mission with the highest standards and the strictest requirements."

Every team member involved in the investigation cherishes this opportunity very much.

Li Bin, a member of the photography and videography team, participated in my country's first deep-sea archaeological survey in 2018. People still remember clearly that year, when the first artifact taken from the deep sea was brought back by the "Deep Sea Warrior", this 50-year-old underwater archaeology "veteran" put on a diving suit without hesitation, jumped into the sea, and held it tightly in his arms, fearing that it would be lost.

This time, Li Bin used his camera to faithfully record the moments of "science and archaeology working closely together." He said: "All the historical records we leave behind must stand the test of the future."

This is a photo of the Deep Sea Warrior manned submersible taken on the Exploration One research vessel. The submersible is used to collect underwater archaeological data (photographed on May 26, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Xiaoxu

No precedent

At 14:30, the sea and the sky were one color, and the sun was scorching.

A regular scientific meeting is being held in the 319 conference room of "Exploration No. 1". At this time every day, the team members will gather together to review the video data brought back from the previous dive and discuss the precautions for the next dive.

"There is no precedent in the world for conducting archaeological surveys of ancient shipwrecks of such a scale at such a deep seabed," said Chen Chuanxu, deputy leader of the project. This scientist who studies geophysical exploration is also fascinated by studying the Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He. He hopes that the investigation of the shipwreck will help solve the mystery of Zheng He's navigation technology during his voyages to the West.

But there are many challenges. At a depth of 1,500 meters under the sea, any seemingly simple task will become extremely difficult.

For example, in Shipwreck No. 1, where are the best locations to extract the cultural relics scattered over an area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters?

If the artifacts are extracted from scattered areas, some historical information that can be used to study the sinking process of the shipwreck will be lost.

If extraction is carried out in the core accumulation area of ​​cultural relics, the "Deep Sea Warrior" can only hover above the accumulation of cultural relics. If it is too far, the manipulator cannot reach it, and if it is too close, it may affect the safety of the cultural relics. If the extraction process causes damage to the accumulation of cultural relics, the consequences will be unimaginable.

This is the underwater permanent mapping base point deployed at the shipwreck site (photo taken on May 20, 2023). Xinhua News Agency

There are no ready-made answers, only constant testing and careful exploration.

In the data processing center, Yue Chaolong, a member of the data compilation team, kept his computer running all night. He used the image materials brought back from dives to stitch together three-dimensional digital images, and a "panoramic picture of the sunken ship" became clearer and clearer.

Huang Zepeng, a member of the geophysical exploration team, repeatedly watched the video data and marked the precise location of each underwater artifact on the map;

Liu Sheng and Li Jian, members of the cultural relics protection team, checked the various equipment, tools and materials needed for on-site protection of cultural relics over and over again, making full preparations...

Under the scorching sun, everyone was rising to the challenge.

On June 2, the Deep Sea Warrior successfully extracted two logs from the No. 2 shipwreck site;

On June 4, with the help of a new flexible manipulator, the Deep Sea Warrior successfully extracted a batch of cultural relics including a blue-and-white Eight Immortals pattern jar, a blue-and-white Kylin pattern plate, a white-glazed covered bowl, and a green-glazed covered jar from the No. 1 shipwreck site;

On June 8, after many efforts in the early stage, all long baseline beacons were laid into the water and calibrated at night, ready for use;

…

The "Exploration No. 1" drifting on the sea has witnessed frustration and anxiety, sweat and hope. From the first day of its birth, this ship has been proud of being an explorer.

On May 24, 2023, the "Exploration One" research vessel conducted the first phase of archaeological survey in the waters of the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwreck sites on the northwest slope of the South China Sea (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Duojiang)

A new starting point

As night fell, the team members, who had completed a day's mission, looked up and saw a sky full of shining stars.

Once upon a time, our ancestors set sail under the same starlight, writing the historical chapter of the Maritime Silk Road. Those feats across mountains and seas have long been deeply engraved in the historical memory of the Chinese nation.

During the first phase of the investigation, which lasted more than 20 days, the deep-sea archaeological team completed a series of tasks:

A large-scale underwater search and investigation was conducted on the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwrecks, and more than 200 cultural relics were safely extracted. Cultural relics workers will conduct a comprehensive study on them to interpret the historical information contained in them;

Completed 3D laser scanning and photographic stitching of the core accumulation areas of the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwrecks;

Conducting submerged sand pumping and blowing experiments, and applying “black technologies” such as long baseline positioning and flexible manipulators to deep-sea archaeology;

Deep-sea archaeology surface log, deep-sea archaeology dive scientific report, registration form for unearthed cultural relics...the norms for deep-sea archaeology work are gradually being established.

Archaeological team members check archaeological data collected from underwater on the "Exploration One" research vessel (photo taken on May 24, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Xiaoxu

"This is a scene that I would never have imagined even if I dreamed of it a hundred or a thousand times." Deng Qijiang said excitedly after completing the dive.

Dreams are the starlight that guides us forward.

"At present, we are still unclear about the condition of the hull. In the next stage, we will invite experts who study the hull to join the deep-sea archaeological team." "Next, we should conduct a detailed investigation of the No. 1 shipwreck by area and category." "Depending on the size of the extracted cultural relics, more types of flexible manipulators can be developed."... When talking about future work, everyone has new ideas and thoughts.

Sitting in the submersible for the first time, Wang Wanfeng, a member of the surveying and recording team, was excited and nervous. The excellent professional skills and serious and rigorous scientific attitude of the submersibles impressed this "post-90s" underwater archaeologist: "After returning, I must seize the time to study the history of overseas trade, ceramics, ancient shipbuilding... I want to learn all the relevant professional knowledge to prepare for future deep-sea archaeological surveys!"

The waves are surging, and how many legends of civilization are still hidden beneath the vast blue.

How did our ancestors explore routes to distant places in the midst of wind and rain? What touching stories of civilizational exchanges are there on the routes to foreign lands? In the magnificent ocean chapter of the Chinese nation, deep-sea archaeology faces countless historical mysteries and countless challenges.

"Flatten the bumps and make a road, fight the difficulties and set off again" ... The melody of "Where is the Road" always echoes in the ears of deputy team leader Zhang Ninghao. He said: "The end of this stage of investigation is just a new starting point."

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Reporter: Shi Yucen