Iron materials from Shipwrecks―the iron as traded goods of Song-Yuan period in China
Dublin Core
Title
Iron materials from Shipwrecks―the iron as traded goods of Song-Yuan period in China
Description
Iron is present in the traded goods of Song-Yuan period in China. In the shipwreck survey in China and Southeast
Asia, iron bars and iron pots have been discovered as cargo on trade vessels. There are also iron bars in the
Middle Ages of Japan, There are also iron bars being used during the Middle Ages of Japan, with some of these
iron bars preserved in some archaeological sites. There is a view that these iron bars found in Japan are locally
produced. But some researchers suggest it may have been imported from other places, such as China. Iron Bars
also were discovered in Nanhai Ⅰ shipwreck (Chinese: 南海Ⅰ号), Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck (Chinese: 華光
礁一号) and several other ones around the South China Sea. These iron bars found on the aforementioned
shipwrecks are very similar to the Iron Bar found in Japan.
The ironware found on the shipwreck (10th-13th Century) in Southeast Asia, especially in the Java
region, was mainly iron bars as raw material and iron pots. Historical documents include descriptions of iron
products exported from China. According to the description, there are two types of concrete shapes of iron
products: "bar-shaped" and "pot-shaped". In Chunxi Sanshan-zhi (Chinese: 淳熙三山志), the local gazetteer of
Southern Song Fuzhou (Chinese: 福州), there is a decree restricting the export of iron in the third year of Qingli
(Chinese: 慶暦三年, 1043). This decree prohibited the export of ironware other than agricultural tools, pots and
pans. Conversely, it can be interpreted that export is possible as long as it is in the shape of agricultural tools or
pots and pans. Iron Bars are similar in shape to the "harrow teeth" of agricultural tools. This is the reason why the
iron products from shipwrecks have "Iron Bars" and "Iron pots".
In this paper, the iron materials of Nanhai I and the iron material of shipwrecks in Southeast Asia such as
Cirebon Wreck, Intan Wreck, Pulau Buaya Wreck, Java Sea Wreck, are compared and examined. The purpose of
such comparison is to recognize the significance in their similarities and differences, and to propose issues related
to the sourcing and usage of iron materials found from the shipwrecks.
Asia, iron bars and iron pots have been discovered as cargo on trade vessels. There are also iron bars in the
Middle Ages of Japan, There are also iron bars being used during the Middle Ages of Japan, with some of these
iron bars preserved in some archaeological sites. There is a view that these iron bars found in Japan are locally
produced. But some researchers suggest it may have been imported from other places, such as China. Iron Bars
also were discovered in Nanhai Ⅰ shipwreck (Chinese: 南海Ⅰ号), Huaguang Reef 1 shipwreck (Chinese: 華光
礁一号) and several other ones around the South China Sea. These iron bars found on the aforementioned
shipwrecks are very similar to the Iron Bar found in Japan.
The ironware found on the shipwreck (10th-13th Century) in Southeast Asia, especially in the Java
region, was mainly iron bars as raw material and iron pots. Historical documents include descriptions of iron
products exported from China. According to the description, there are two types of concrete shapes of iron
products: "bar-shaped" and "pot-shaped". In Chunxi Sanshan-zhi (Chinese: 淳熙三山志), the local gazetteer of
Southern Song Fuzhou (Chinese: 福州), there is a decree restricting the export of iron in the third year of Qingli
(Chinese: 慶暦三年, 1043). This decree prohibited the export of ironware other than agricultural tools, pots and
pans. Conversely, it can be interpreted that export is possible as long as it is in the shape of agricultural tools or
pots and pans. Iron Bars are similar in shape to the "harrow teeth" of agricultural tools. This is the reason why the
iron products from shipwrecks have "Iron Bars" and "Iron pots".
In this paper, the iron materials of Nanhai I and the iron material of shipwrecks in Southeast Asia such as
Cirebon Wreck, Intan Wreck, Pulau Buaya Wreck, Java Sea Wreck, are compared and examined. The purpose of
such comparison is to recognize the significance in their similarities and differences, and to propose issues related
to the sourcing and usage of iron materials found from the shipwrecks.
Creator
Ishiguro Hisako
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Hisako, Ishiguro. 2023. “Iron materials from Shipwrecks ― the iron as traded goods of Song-Yuan period in China.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, and T. Kurt Knoerl. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1982
Files
Citation
Ishiguro Hisako, “Iron materials from Shipwrecks―the iron as traded goods of Song-Yuan period in China,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed October 12, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1982.