A GROUP of UNESCO experts visited Yangjiang City in western Guangdong Saturday to inspect the archeological site where an ancient ship was discovered, providing further evidence that the city might have been the starting point of a marine Silk Road.

UNESCO intends to list the Silk Road on the Sea as a world cultural heritage and include the ship, named Nanhai 1, in the application, according to a member of the group.

The experts inspected chinaware recovered from the ship and also watched videos of underwater excavating. The concept of Silk Road on the Sea has aroused much attention but it needs the support of tangible archeological evidence, they say. The ancient ship has provided valuable clues and evidence.

Around March, 2002, an undersea archeological team began meticulous exploration and excavation of the Nanhai 1 merchant ship.

The ship, 30 meters long and 10 meters wide, is the largest ever-found Song Dynasty (960-1279) vessel and well preserved. When the team holed the shipwreck and entered it, they were amazed by the more than 4,000 treasures they saw.

The ship, by preliminary appraisal, was an international trading ship, sailing along the main channel for overseas trade --- the ancient marine silk road in the Tang-Song period.

 
Editor: Wings