The Jakarta Post, Tue, 04/06/2010 11:59 AM
CIREBON: Thousands of artifacts pulled from a shipwreck dating back to the 10th century in waters north of Cirebon, West Java, will be auctioned off next month by a government team.
The auction will be held in Jakarta on May 5, the National Committee of Excavation and Utilization of Precious Artifacts from Sunken Ships (Pannas BMKT) said in a press release Monday.
"The findings of Cirebon's Pannas BMKT operation comprise 271,000 items, making it one of the biggest findings in the country's history. Among the artifacts are China ceramics from the 10th century *Yue Mise Dynasty*, glass and rock crystals from the Middle East and Africa and other precious items, like gold coins and jewelry, silver jewelry and precious stones," the statement said.
The government-licensed project was conducted by PT Paradigma Putra Sejahtera in cooperation with Cosmix Underwater Research Ltd.
Pannas BMKT has published a book titled Kapal Karam Abad ke-10 (Sunken Ship of the 10th Century) about the recovery effort and the artifacts. The government has named a number of artifacts from the wreck as historical artifacts and has claimed them as state assets. - JP
