Symposium "The Belitung Shipwreck and the maritime Silk Road"

THE BELITUNG SHIPWRECK

AND THE MARITIME SILK ROUTE Saturday, February 28, 2014, 10 am–5 pm Cost: $50 general public; $45 Aga Khan Museum members; $25 students and seniors.  Venue: Aga Khan Museum, Toronto  To register, please visit agakhanmuseum.org or call 416.646.4677. The discovery of the 9th-century Belitung shipwreck in the Java Sea in 1998 revealed an astonishing cargo of close to 60,000 Tang period ceramic vessels as well as a rare collection of intricately worked silver and gold boxes, bronze mirrors, and silver ingots.  It also revealed some of the belongings of an international crew that was once on board of this Arab trade ship. The Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, and the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, are co-hosting a one-day symposium about the shipwreck’s discovery, excavation, its exceptional Tang period cargo, and the important narratives it provides of an active cultural and commercial maritime silk route.  International experts discuss the maritime silk route, including the Belitung shipwreck and other recently excavated shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean.  The symposium includes a round-table discussion of the historical and ethical implications of shipwrecks and the role of museums as venues for exploring and showcasing archaeological materials. Admission to the exhibition The Lost Dhow: A Discovery from the Maritime Silk Route curated by John Vollmer included with registration. PROGRAM SESSION ONE: 10–11 AM Stephen Murphy. Curator (Southeast Asia), Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Shipwrecks, Ceramics and Tribute: Situating Southeast Asia on the Maritime Silk Route of the 7th – 9th centuries Derek Heng. Associate Professor of Humanities, Yale- NUS College, Singapore                                                                                   The Belitung Wreck and the Nature of China’s Maritime Trade During the Late Tang Period SESSION TWO: 11:30 AM–12:30 PM Ruth Barnes. Thomas Jaffe Curator of Indo-Pacific Art at the Yale University Art Gallery Village Looms and Palace Workshops: Textiles in Early Indian Ocean Trade Dionisius A. Agius. Exeter University, UK                                                                                                                                                   Sea Stories, Surprises and Secrets of the Medieval Western Indian Ocean: The People and the Dhows SESSION THREE: 2–2:30 PM Jun Kimura. Field Chicago Museum                                                                                                                                                    Nautical Archaeology on the Oldest Known Shipwreck in the South China Sea  ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION: 3–5 PM SHIPWRECKS, MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY AND MUSEUMS Dan Rahimi (Moderator)                                                                                                                                                                    Executive Director of Galleries, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology James P. Delgado                                                                                                                                                                                    Director of Maritime Heritage, National Marine Sanctuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bobby Orillaneda                                                                                                                                                                                 Underwater Archaeology Section, National Museum of the Philippines. Hilti Foundation Scholar, School of Archaeology, Oxford University  Chen Shen                                                                                                                                                                                                    Vice President, World Cultures. Senior Curator, Bishop White Chair of East Asian Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum In association with Nautical Archaeology on the Oldest Known Shipwreck in the South China Sea