SINGAPORE—The AFP reports that the site of two shipwrecks has been investigated off Singapore’s easternmost point by researchers from Singapore’s National Heritage Board and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The first ship, which had been loaded with Chinese ceramics, was found in 2015 and has been dated to the fourteenth century. “Many of the pieces [of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain] are rare, and one is believed to be unique,” said Michael Flecker of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The second ship, which was discovered during the excavation of the first vessel, is thought to be the Shah Munchah, a merchant vessel that sank in 1796 while traveling from China to India. This ship was carrying Chinese ceramics probably destined for Britain, glass, and agate objects. Cannons typical of the kind used by Britain’s East India Company and anchors were also recovered from the wreckage. For more on archaeology in Singapore, go to “Letter from Singapore: The Lion City’s Glorious Past.”
