Three 1,800-Year-Old Official Ships Found Beneath Beijing

Archaeologists in Beijing have uncovered three wooden ships about 1,800 years old, dating to the Han and Jin dynasties, according to HeritageDaily, which cited the General Office of Beijing Municipal People’s Government. Components of the vessels carry a branded Chinese character meaning “official,” which researchers read as a sign of government ownership.

The wrecks give scientists rare physical evidence of state-run river transport in ancient northern China, a subject previously known mostly from tombs and settlement remains in the Beijing area.

Three hulls in an old river bend

The ships lay about seven metres below today’s ground surface, near the Lize Business District and the site of the Jinzhongdu city gate in Fengtai District. They were named Yongding River No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, and all three sat in the former course of the Yongding River with their bows pointing south-west.

Researchers from the Beijing Municipal Institute of Archaeology say geological analysis shows the spot was once a sheltered bend or bay in the river, possibly with a dock. The alignment of the hulls suggests they may have been moored side by side when they were abandoned or buried.

What each ship shows

Yongding River No. 2 is the best preserved. It is about 14 metres long, 2.5 metres across at its widest and still stands around 0.9 metres high. Ten hollow beams split its hull into nine compartments. A 13-centimetre wooden model of an oar came from the same vessel.

No. 1 was broken, but its upper and lower sections were found stacked neatly and propped up by upright planks, which suggests someone placed them there on purpose. No. 3 has cut marks on part of its bow that may come from repairs.

Ding Lina, a researcher at the institute, said the damaged ships may have been gathered in the sheltered area near a dock to wait for repair. A later flood may then have wrecked or submerged them and buried them quickly under sediment.

Other finds at the site

The team also found pottery, tiles, well components and animal remains from horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs. In No. 3 they discovered a headless human skeleton, identified as a woman about 25 years old. Researchers interpret her position as possibly consistent with drowning, though how she died remains uncertain.

Waterlogged sediment explains the good condition of the timber. Layers of silt and sand sealed the wood and limited its contact with oxygen, which would otherwise have rotted it.

How the team is dating and studying the wrecks

Archaeologists took more than ten boxes of sediment samples from the ships and the surrounding deposits. They are combining radiocarbon dating with stratigraphy (the layering of soil) and analysis of artefacts to refine the age of the wrecks. Studies of pollen, phytoliths (microscopic plant particles) and other tiny remains are meant to reconstruct the ancient river environment. The work is continuing, so the dating and the account of how the ships ended up there are still preliminary.

Why it matters for understanding ancient Beijing

The river system shifted over time through flooding, geological processes and later human activity. In Han and Jin times the area held a more tangled network of channels, lakes and marshes than it does now. The wrecks were found in an area tied to the ancient Yushui waterway, and they offer physical evidence that this former river system could carry boats.

The hulls are flat-bottomed and elongated, with a shallow draught and gently rising bows. Researchers say that shape suited rivers with shallow stretches and changing water levels, and they call the three vessels rare early examples of shipbuilding from Beijing and the inland waterways of northern China. The brand mark gives them a reference point for studying government shipbuilding and water transport in the two periods.

What happens next

The ships have been lifted and preserved as complete units. Plans call for storing them under controlled temperature and humidity, and they may eventually go on public display.

Source: HeritageDaily