The Discovery and Excavation of the Breaker Reef Shipwreck | Palawan Philippines [Amazing Archeology]

In 1988, broken pieces of porcelain were accidentally discovered by a fisherman while collecting lobsters on top of the Breaker Reef located southwest of Palawan Island, approximately 13 km off the coast of Rizal municipality. In 1991, the site was excavated at a depth of 5 - 6 m by underwater archaeologists of #NationalMuseumPH in collaboration with Franck Goddio’s World Wide First team. 

Recovered from the shipwreck were more than 2,000 archaeological objects that include ceramic bowls, saucers, octagonal covered box, small jars along with non-ceramic cargo including metal cooking pans (woks) and ingots, as well as glass bracelets and a granite anchor stock. The ceramics were from the kilns of Zheijiang and Fujian province in China during the Southern Sung period (1127–1279 CE). 

Most notable are the Qingbai wares, a type of Chinese ware characterized by their very fine white body covered with a luminous glaze of icy blue-greenish tinge. Read more about Qingbai Wares here:  https://tinyurl.com/QingbaiWares

No ship remains were found on the site, but the vessel may have been built in China based on the predominantly Chinese cargo and the granite anchor, which was usually carried by Chinese vessels. 

Maritime trade between China and Philippines has a long history considering their proximity and the archipelago’s location to China. As early as the 10th century CE, commercial relations between the two countries have been recorded as Philippine polities sent tribute missions to China. This link extended throughout the 13th century CE, based on land and shipwreck sites in the Philippines. During this period, the commercial importance of Southeast Asia have also developed due to the demand of utilitarian and ceremonial ceramic wares of Southeast Asian ports and polities and beyond. 

The artifacts from the Breaker Reef shipwreck will be displayed on the upgraded 300 Years of Maritime Trade in the Philippines exhibition of the National Museum of Anthropology. When our situation eases and your #NationalMuseumPH opens again to the public, you may visit our galleries to see these significant artifacts. In the meantime, you may experience a 360° virtual tour by clicking on this link: http://pamana.ph/ncr/manila/NMA360.html

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Credits:

Text and poster by the Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division

Photo © Franck Goddio/World Wide First

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)