The Tang shipwreck contained many storage jars made in Guangdong province, in southern China. However, this piece is the only known amphora-type recovered. It may have been packed with ceramic bowls. Or it could have contained herbs or spices. Other jars were found full of star anise from China. Those with spouts may have contained liquids. Some jars bear inscriptions, perhaps merchant’s marks. After centuries under water, many such as this example, became encrusted with coral. Some have been restored to their original state, but only through many hours of painstaking work by conservators. The Tang Shipwreck was a 9th century vessel that was en route from China back to the Middle East when it sank off the coast of Belitung Island in the Java Sea.
