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Underwater treasure
“We found ceramic artifacts from China’s Ming dynasty in the waters off Genting Island … indicating the zone used to be a lane for merchant ships as well as war vessels,” archaeologist Priyatno Hadi Sulistyarto told The Jakarta Post recently
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“We found ceramic artifacts from China’s Ming dynasty in the waters off Genting Island … indicating the zone used to be a lane for merchant ships as well as war vessels,” archaeologist Priyatno Hadi Sulistyarto told The Jakarta Post recently.
Remarkable find: An archaeologist uncovers an artifact from the Ming dynasty in the Karimun waters. The old artifacts are believed came from the King Wan Li period under the Ming dynasty, China, between 1573 and 1619.
After gathering fragments of ceramic plates, bowls, small boxes and other pieces totaling about 20 objects, an underwater archaeology survey team from Yogyakarta later confirmed the rare objects originated from the King Wan Li period under the Ming dynasty, between 1573 and 1619.
Carried out from July 22 to Aug. 2, 2009, the expedition led by Yogyakarta archaeologists was reportedly the first ever underwater archaeological study in Indonesia.
The Yogyakarta “Indiana Jones” team comprised 16 members who undertook a long journey — fraught with obstacles — from Yogyakarta to reach Karimunjawa, a group of islands located 83 kilometers northwest of Jepara or 120 kilometers north of Semarang.
Lack of funding was one of the main stumbling blocks the expedition faced. “It’s the first underwater survey, but we only received enough money to carry out the land research. It’s very expensive to hire a boat. But we were nevertheless set to begin,” Priyatno said.
Locals from Karimunjawa offered to take the archaeologists out to sea for a ridiculously high sum of money: “One offered his service to show the location of an old sunken vessel. But he asked for Rp 200 million [US$21,000],” said the archaeologist.
As the team left Yogyakarta, Priyatno Hadi from the Yogyakarta Archeology Center, who headed this expedition, kept thinking they would be disappointed upon arrival to the site. “We were sure some treasures had been looted,” said the graduate from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University.
The archaeologists had obtained a government license for their project, under a 2000 presidential decree — and subsequently a 2007 Presidential Decree on the national committee for the salvage and utilization of valuable cargo derived from sunken vessels.
Article 1 of the decree defines the valuable cargo from sunken vessels (BMKT) as precious objects of historic, scientific and economic value in Indonesian territorial waters, the Indonesian exclusive zone and the Indonesian continental shelf, for at least 10 years.
To archaeologists, BMKT is more significant in terms of scientific development. For this reason, the team members, already in possession of diver’s certificates, agreed to treat their underwater finds as objects of science.
The team consisted of Priyatno Hadi Sulistyarto, Siswanto (Yogyakarta Archeology Center head), T. M. Hari Lelono, Sugeng Riyanto, Sofwan Noerwidi, Heri Priswanto (archaeologists), Z. Dekon Suyanto (artifact handler), Tedy Setyadi (mapping expert), Bakrun (artifact handler) and Slamet Widodo (property officer).
Supporting them were three archaeologists from the Central Java Heritage Conservation Center, Riris Purbasari, Muhamad Junawan and Denny Wahyu Hidayat; and two archaeology students from Gadjah Mada University, Adyanti Putri Ariadi and Camella Sukma Dara. The Post also joined the team, led by dive master Taufik Rahman Arif Budiman.
Their first researched data on sunken vessels in the Karimunjawa waters. The team decided to explore the site of a submerged ship in Genting Island waters because no divers had searched this area before.
They also used travel notes from the Chronicles of China, stating that Karimunjawa or Karimon or Chi Li Wen used to be an important place for shipping between Wu Yu near Amoy (China) and Tu Ping Shu (Tuban, a coastal town of East Java).
On the first day, the team was divided into two groups – one explored the spot where a ship had sunk near Gundul Island, about two hours’ sail from Genting Island. The first group, lead by Priyatno, boarded an engine-boat owned by Nurochman, a local fisherman.
The team failed to find a shipwreck, mainly because of bad visibility and huge waves.
The second group, however, hit the jackpot. They cruised along the shoreline of Genting Island. With the help of a local, Suminto, they discovered hundreds of thousands of ceramic fragments less than 3.5-meters deep.
The site sought after by archaeologists had been discovered earlier by Karyadi (47), a fisherman from Genting Island. “I found a gentong [jug] when I was fishing in 1998… I named the site gentong,” said Karyadi.
Genting Island fishermen also stumbled upon various ancient ceramics. In 1998, Karyadi recalled a man from Bandung searching for antiques. He bought a dish for Rp 60,000, a bowl for Rp 40,000 and a jug for Rp 70,000.
The news spread to Jakarta. A Jakartan named Iwan met with Karyadi, and asked where the artifacts could be found. “Iwan promised to give me money if there were antiques at the site I showed him,” he added.
Karyadi then witnessed the pillaging of ancient objects from a sunken ship. Many soldiers were guarding the operation. “I went to Jepara to ask Iwan to keep his promise, but he wasn’t there. I ask people to help look for him. But a soldier held me at gunpoint,” he went on.
Perhaps owing to the news about the pricey artifacts, Sugiyanto, the other fisherman on the island, was willing to exchange his slightly damaged boat for a bowl and a small jug. Some Genting islanders still keep the objects they inadvertently found while fishing.
A big clay jug can still be found in the home of Mulyadi, the chief of Genting Island’s community. Mamat, a native islander, also has a clay jug modified into a water receptacle for prayer ablution. Karmin, who once served as a site broker, however, handed over a small ceramic box and a statue of a headless Buddha to the research team.
The Post interviewed Karmin before the team met him. A diabetes patient with a paralyzed right arm, he had been observing the researchers’ activity since their arrival.
Karyadi was aware of the purpose of the team and when prompted, readily assisted the researchers in identifying the site. Island people, consequently, had no qualms with the archaeologists’ operation. The smooth communication enabled the team to record in detail and photograph the artifacts kept by the Genting people.
Some team members also surveyed the tomb at the back of Si Gantung hill, where they found large-sized bricks, porcelain fragments and sacred stone places. Locals call the relic Gadung Wulung. “The site indicates the existence of a dynamic settlement in the past,” said Sugeng Riyanto from the team.
Locals believe the cemetery is the resting place of Nyi Endang Sari, the wife of a nobleman from the Majapahit Kingdom.
Genting Island was vital for shipping because of its abundant source of fresh water, in contrast with the brackish water found on Karimunjawa Island.
But why did so many vessels sink in the archipelago?
“In the stormy season, the group of islands was a safe shelter. But on their way, many sailors were unaware of the presence of coral banks and collided with them,” explained Priyatno.
The search for shipwrecks is not over yet. But the Yogyakarta archaeologists’ discovery of scattered antique ceramic pieces on the seabed can be hailed as a major achievement in underwater archaeology.
— Photos by JP/Suherdjoko
