Earliest known shipwreck found in Singapore waters, dated to 1340-1352 CE

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Key facts

• A 4-year excavation on the coast of Singapore produced the earliest known shipwreck in the country's waters
• Archaeologists recovered approximately 2,300 ceramic shards plus several intact or nearly intact pieces; the ship's wooden remains had been completely destroyed by waves, currents, and shipworms
• Cargo included Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain, green-glazed Longquan celadon, Qingbai/Shufu ware, Dehua white ware, olive-toned green ware from Fujian provincial kilns, and stoneware storage jars and small-mouth jars from Cizao
• Blue and white porcelain featuring Mandarin ducks swimming among lotus blooms dates the wreck's final voyage to 1340-1352, before the Red Turban uprisings disrupted production around 1352
• The vessel was likely a Chinese junk loaded in Quanzhou and bound for Temasek, the historical name for Singapore
• Decorative patterns on smaller bowls and vases match fragments found at Fort Canning and other Singapore land sites; large blue and white platters popular in India and the Middle East are absent from the cargo
• The discovery provides strong evidence for a busy trading port in Singapore over 700 years ago, challenging earlier portrayals of pre-1819 Singapore as a minor settlement

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