A day for science
First there was the news of a possible asteroid hit on Mars next January, and now via Blue Crab Boulevard we learn the Chinese have raised an 800-year old merchant ship from its watery grave:
After 800 years at the bottom of the sea, a merchant ship loaded with porcelain and other rare antiques was raised to the surface Friday in a specially built basket, a state news agency reported.
The Nanhai No. 1, which means "South China Sea No. 1," sank off the south China coast with some 60,000 to 80,000 items on board, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Wu Jiancheng, head of the excavation project.
Archaeologists built a steel basket around the 100-foot vessel, and it took about two hours for a crane to lift the ship and surrounding silt to the surface, Xinhua said. The basket was as large as a basketball court and as tall as a three-story building.
Green-glazed porcelain plates and shadowy blue porcelain items were among rare antiques found during the initial exploration of the ship. Archaeologists have also recovered containers made of gold and silver as well as about 6,000 copper coins.
The ship dates from the early Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It was discovered in 1987 off the coast near the city of Yangjiang, in Guangdong province, in more than 65 feet of water.
I love moments such as this: it's like briefly stepping through a time machine for a fleeting glimpse of a world long gone. And not just for the beautiful artifacts, either. One wonders at the fate of the crew: did any of them make it to safety? What became of their families?
Neat! 
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