Ancient shipwrecks unearthed in China
May 29th, 2012 - 7:06 pm ICT by IANSBeijing, May 29 (IANS) Archaeologists in China have unearthed two shipwrecks under an artificial waterway that remained buried for centuries.
Over 600 artifacts have also been recovered from the site in Tianjin, the Tianjin Cultural Heritage Protection Centre said.
The wrecks, which date back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), first came to light in April, after workers dredged a section of the Grand Canal, said Mei Pengyun, centre director.
The 1,776 km-long Grand Canal passes through several provinces in northern and eastern China. The oldest sections of the canal were built 2,500 years ago, People’s Daily reported Tuesday.
The discovery will provide insights into construction of ships in ancient China, archaeologists said.
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Tags: ancient china, ancient shipwrecks, archaeologists, artifacts, artificial waterway, centre director, centuries, china beijing, cultural heritage protection, discovery, dynasty, eastern china, grand canal, insights, ships, wrecks