“南海Ⅰ号”船载铁器与相关问题研究

Ship-borne Iron Artefacts from Nanhai Ⅰ Shipwreck and Related Issues

前言“南海I号”是1987年8月发现于广东省阳江市东平港以南约20海里处的一艘南宋时期木质商船,是迄今为止发现的宋代海上沉船中船体最大、保存最完整的远洋贸易商船。2007年对“南海I号”沉船实施了整体打捞。沉船从2013年12月发掘至今,基本弄清楚船内所装载的货物及分布的情况。

The discovery in 1987 and excavation in 2007 of the Nanhai I or South China Sea I wreck off the coast of Yangjiang, 240 kilometers southwest of Guangzhou, offers new data for contextualizing the long-distance Chinese maritime trade in the Song Dynasty. The number of the ship-borne iron goods is enormous, which is less than the ceramics on board. The iron artefact was also one of the essential cargoes at that time. The types of the ship-borne iron artefacts are elementary, like the iron bar and the iron wok ( pan). The bars are more than the woks. Through scientific analysis and inspection of the ship-borne iron artefacts, it can be seen that the material of the iron wok is white iron and cast;the material of the iron bar is hypereutectoid steel, and the hot forging process after casting is adopted, with the fuel of coal in the smelting process. Comparing the iron artefacts with the ones from some other shipwrecks, it indicates that the iron bars, as semi-finished products, were used for manufacturing knives, which are not likely to be weapon ones specifically for the military, but for the use in everyday life or daily self-defense. This research provides valuable information and clues for the exploration of the mining and metallurgy industry of iron and the metal trade in the Song Dynasty. It also provides reliable evidence for the studies on the related issues to the trade of iron and the spread of the Chinese metallurgy on the Maritime Silk Road.