A Tang Dynasty stoneware box from the Belitung shipwreck, featuring embossed patterns on its lid. Stoneware boxes from the Tang Dynasty, like the one recovered from the Belitung shipwreck, were often used for storing cosmetics, medicines, spices, or other small valuable items. The intricate design signifies that it may have been intended for an owner of considerable status or used for important ceremonial or trade purposes.
Period : Late Tang Dynasty Production Date : Circa 830 Made in : Hunan province Found/Acquired : Indonesia, Belitung Island Provenance : Acquired early 2000s Size : 7cm (Diameter) / 4cm(Height) Condition : Good
* The Belitung Hoard Changsha Ware
The Belitung ship held three main types of Chinese "wares" in the form of bowls: Changsha ware (produced in kilns in Tongguan), the majority of the items, were originally packed in either straw cylinders or "Dusun" storage jars; White-ware, manufactured in the Ding kilns and including the earliest known intact underglaze blue and white dishes; and Yue ware from Zhejiang Province.
The ship has given archaeologists two major discoveries: the biggest single collection of Tang dynasty artefacts found in one location outside of China, the so-called "Tang Treasure"; and the Arabian dhow, which gives a new insight into the trade routes between China and the Middle East during that period.
References : Belitung: The Afterlives of a Shipwreck(Book by Natali Pearson), Photo by Michael Flecker
