Ancient ship wreckage discovered in Xi'an

Chinaculture.org  21 January 2015

Archaeologists discovered the wreckage of an ancient ship subsequent to the discovery of the ruins of five large-scale ancient bridges in the old course of the Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Jan 16.

 Archaeologists clean the wreckage of an ancient ship at the ruins of No. 1 bridge in the old course of the Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 16, 2015. [Photo/cnwest.com]

According to archaeological materials, few ancient ships were found in Shaanxi, with only one unearthed in the Lintong district of Xi'an.

To keep the ruins warm, archaeologists covered the wreckage with canvas, and they did not begin cleaning the wreckage until 10 o'clock when the temperature in the area rose.

So far, as the body of the ancient ship has not been completely revealed, it's impossible to proceed with carbon-14 dating, which may reveal when the ship was built.

Archaeologists faced another puzzle. As the wreckage was discovered buried under the earth at two different sites, there is no way to make sure it belongs to two ships or just one that had broken into two parts.

Liu Rui, leader of the archaeological team for the Weihe River ruins, said that they will take three days to clean the wreckage of the ancient ship.

Adjacent to the wreckage, archaeologists also found traces of "sao", or a mattress used to build dykes in the ancient times.

Archaeologists cover the wreckage with canvas to keep it warm at the ruins of the No. 1 bridge in the old course of the Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 16, 2015. 

Part of the wreckage of an ancient ship is revealed at the ruins of the No. 1 bridge in the old course of the Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 16, 2015. 

Traces of "sao", or a mattress used in dyke construction in ancient times, are seen at the ruins of the No. 1 bridge in the old course of the Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 16, 2015. [Photo/cnwest.com]