Archaeologists Reveal Magnificent Finds From 500-Year-Old China Shipwrecks

Maritime archaeologists have retrieved hundreds of artifacts from two centuries-old shipwrecks that were recently discovered in the South China Sea. The shipwrecks were first spotted in October 2022 at a depth of around 4,900 feet near the northwest continental slope of the sea, China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) said Thursday. Both date to the Ming dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644. From May 2023 to June 2024, a team of Chinese researchers conducted an underwater archaeological investigation of the shipwrecks. Researchers have now confirmed that the first shipwreck dates back to the reign of Emperor Zhengde (1506-1521)…