“无钉之船”:考古和文献中最早往返于西亚与中国之间的海舶

Stitched Boats:The Earliest Vessels Travelling between West Asia and China as Revealed in Historical Records

1998年印尼海域发现的“黑石号”阿拉伯(波斯)沉船,是南海发现的时代最早的沉船,也是最早往返于西亚和中国之间的海舶。本文先介绍海洋考古发现的阿拉伯沉船,分析阿拉伯式船只建造的特点,即不用铁钉而是以椰索捆绑船板,也即所谓“缝合船”。而后根据非中文文献考证围绕阿拉伯“无钉之船”在海洋亚洲衍生流传的海底磁山的传说,指出这个传说几乎从一开始就落地于马尔代夫,后者作为海洋交通枢纽之地以季风、海流和礁石之危险而远近闻名。随后本文勾稽中国文献,指出海底磁山的传说早就传到了中国。到了元明时期中国人又将中国文化中的“弱水”这一概念加之于马尔代夫。特别是以郑和下西洋为本的明末小说《西洋记》中关于“吸铁岭”的创作,可以视为海底磁山详尽之中国版本。海洋考古和中西文献中的“无钉之船”这个历史事实以及相关传说,彰显了中国和印度洋(阿拉伯)世界的海上贸易和由此产生的密切文化交流。

The Belitung Shipwreck discovered in 1998 in Indonesia was the earliest shipwreck found in the“South Sea”.This Arabian(Persian)boat was also the earliest vessel traveling between West Asia and China.This article introduces archaeological findings of Arabian shipwrecks and analyzes the stitched construction of dhows which were made by sewing the hull boards together with coconut fibers instead of using nails.Based on non-Chinese sources,this article studies legends about the undersea magnetic hills and points out that these hills were said to be in the Maldives,which was a strategic hub where there were dangers caused by monsoons,currents and reefs.As early as the Jin dynasty,there were already Chinese records about the undersea magnetic hills.During the Yuan and Ming dynasties,the Maldives was called Ruoshui(Weak Water)which implied its danger.In Xiyang Ji(A Journey to the Western Ocean),a novel written in the late Ming dynasty based on Zheng He’s voyages,the tale of Xitieling(Lodestone Mountain)was actually derived from the undersea magnetic-hill legends.Archaeological discoveries and textual sources of“stitched boats”,together with related legends,showcase the maritime trade and cultural exchanges between China and the Indian Ocean region.