In 1998, the Belitung, a ninth-century western Indian Ocean–style
vessel, was discovered in Indonesian waters. Onboard was a full
cargo load, likely intended for the Middle Eastern market, of over
60,000 Chinese Tang-dynasty ceramics, gold, and other precious
objects. It is one of the most significant shipwreck discoveries of
recent times, revealing the global scale of ancient commercial
endeavors and the centrality of the ocean within the Silk Road
story. But this shipwreck also has a modern tale to tell, of how
nation-states appropriate the remnants of the past for their own
purposes, and of the international debates about who owns—and is
responsible for—shared heritage. The commercial salvage of
objects from the Belitung, and their subsequent sale to Singapore,
contravened the principles of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the
Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and prompted
international condemnation. The resulting controversy continues to
reverberate in academic and curatorial circles. Major museums
refused to host international traveling exhibitions of the
collection, and some archaeologists announced they would rather see
the objects thrown back in the sea than ever go on display.
Shipwrecks are anchored in the public imagination, their stories of
treasure and tragedy told in museums, cinema, and song. At the same
time, they are sites of scholarly inquiry, a means by which
maritime archaeologists interrogate the past through its material
remains. Every shipwreck is an accidental time capsule, replete
with the sunken stories of those on board, of the personal and
commercial objects that went down with the vessel, and of an
unfinished journey. In this moving and thought-provoking reflection
of underwater cultural heritage management, Natali Pearson reveals
valuable new information about the Belitung salvage, obtained
firsthand from the salvagers, and the intricacies in the many
conflicts and relationships that developed. In tracing the
Belitung’s lives and afterlives, this book shifts our thinking
about shipwrecks beyond popular tropes of romance, pirates, and
treasure, and toward an understanding of how the relationships
between sites, objects, and people shape the stories we tell of the
past in the present.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
