12th-century ship found in rice field

A sailing vessel that experts believe sank off the coast of southern India 900 years ago has been found buried in a rice field.

The ship is made of local Indian wood but the craftsmanship is not, leading experts to suggest it was made by ancient Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians or Arabs. . .

After centuries of land buildup, it was 50 metres deep in the inland field when workers tilling the field two years ago noticed some of its wooden planks protruding.

Many years ago, while touring ancient cities such as Ephesus and Miletus whose harbors had long since silted up, it hit me that one could do some profitable excavation of shipwrecks on land. Near Ephesus, for example, there was a major naval battle in antiquity; the coastline has moved, and the site is now open fields.

Posted by David on October 23, 2003 2:25 PM