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Divers have retrieved more than 900 artifacts from two centuries - old shipwreck hide in the depths of the SouthChinaSea .

In October 2022 , researchers discovered the shipwrecks around 4,900 human foot ( 1,500 beat ) below the open of the ocean , which is bound by China to the Union , Vietnam to the west and the Philippines to the east , according to astatementfrom the Chinese government .

An underwater view of hundreds of artifacts, including pieces of pottery and ceramics.

Researchers used a deep-sea submersible to retrieve hundreds of artifacts, including this porcelain bowl.

The twin wreck , which date to the Ming dynasty ( 1368 to 1644 ) , ride less than a mile ( 1.5 kilometer ) off the coast of Sanya , a city on China ’s Hainan Island . The internet site are about 14 miles ( 22 klick ) aside , theSouth China Morning Post ( SCMP)reported .

In 2023 , researchers began the arduous undertaking of mapping and hollow the sites using a deep - sea submersible call the " Shenhai Yongshi , " or " Deep Sea Warrior,“TheGuardianreported .

" The wreck are both relatively well - keep up and a bombastic number of relics have been uncovered , " Yan ­Yalin , director of the archaeology section for China ’s National Cultural Heritage Administration ( NCHA ) , said at a news show conference in 2023 .

a diver examines a shipwreck

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Now , researchers have used mystifying - sea - diving equipment to sift through the wreckage . They unveil a wealthiness of porcelain and clayware pieces alongside copper coins at the first shipwreck land site , according to the statement .

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That vessel ’s cargo had originated from Jingdezhen , know as China ’s porcelain chapiter , the SCMP describe .

A selection of metal objects

The 2nd boat hold in 38 artifacts , let in lumber , porcelain and clayware items , spiral - shaped turban shells and deer antlers , fit in to the statement .

Both wreck highlight the grandness of " craft and cultural exchange along the ancient Maritime Silk Road , " Guan Qiang , deputy head of the NCHA , say in the statement .

No details were give about the cause of the shipwrecks .

The coin hoard, amounting to over $340,000, was possibly hidden by people fleeing political persecution.

A vessel decorated with two human-like faces (one is shown above).

Five human skeletons arranged in a sort of semi-circle, partially excavated from brown dirt

Circular alignment of stones in the center of an image full of stones

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Remains of the Heroon, a small temple built for the burial cluster of Philip II at the Museum of the Royal Tombs inside the Great Tumulus of Aigai (Aegae)

a close-up of a handmade stone tool

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