Navigation has a very important position in the history of marine civilization, and ships are the main carriers of navigation activities. This paper reviews 27 important shipwreck sites since the Song and Yuan dynasties, including 11 in the Song dynasty, 6 in the Yuan dynasty, 7 in the Ming dynasty and 3 in the Qing dynasty. By utilizing archaeology, a specialized discipline that studies ancient remains, to observe and study the physical remains of these shipwrecks, a preliminarily understanding of the nature of these shipwrecks, the reasons for their sinking, the wood used in ancient shipbuilding, shipbuilding craftsmanship and navigation technology is gained. It also provides important basic materials for China's ancient shipbuilding and navigation history. In addition, the maritime trade activities and merchant behavior of the time is explored by studying the goods transported on the ships. By studying the daily items of the crew or merchants retained on the ship, it can gain a glimpse of the "micro society" on the ancient ships. It also provides another perspective on the history of the development and evolution of ancient Chinese ship manufacturing, navigation activities, and overseas trade, and reproduces the living scenes of the people on board and the mobile communities.

underwater archaeology  /  shipwreck  /  archaeology