Page 88 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

3 The Investigation and Preliminary Analysis of Nan’ao … 55

Chinese characters written on the bottom of ceramic wares are Fu (", fortune),
Shou (", longevity), Wan Fu You Tong (""!", all best wishes), Fu Gui Jia Qi
(#!!", the best ware for rich and honour), Da Ming Nian Zao (""!#,
Made in Ming Dynasty), and so on.
The pottery is the second largest amount of artifacts collected from the situ
which includes different kinds of pots, urns, bottles, small bowls, and so on. The
most distinctive pottery wares are the big jars pasted with dragon and phoenix
patterns at the exterior belly, carved with !ne and dense line marks of dragon
scales, phoenix wings and water waves (Fig. 3.4).
The metal artifacts are the third important content of the shipwreck remain,
which includes not only household necessities, but also raw materials, weapons and
coins. They are bronze coins, copper ingots, copper coils, copper locks, iron can-
nons, iron cooking pots, tin boxes, lead hammers and so on. The bronze coins
amount to 27,000 pieces.
Other artifacts collected from the shipwreck include stone pestles, wooden weigh
beams, bone combs, lacquer boards, and ore material beads. The tubular beads
amount to 29,000 pieces. Besides, a series of organic food and fruit remains were
also found, including bacon, walnut, chestnut, olive, longan, litchi, dried fruit,
fennel, tea, and so on (Cui and Zhou 2014).

Fig. 3.5 Zhangzhou wares from the Nan’ao I shipwreck. 1–3: plate, 4: saucer, 5: jar, 6: small pot,
7: bottle