Counting Cargo: Indian Ocean Numeric Inscriptions from the Java Sea Shipwreck

Counting Cargo: Indian Ocean Numeric Inscriptions from the Java Sea Shipwreck

The Field Museum houses over 7,000 objects recovered from a Southeast Asian shipwreck that sank in Indonesian waters between the twelfth-thirteenth centuries. Known as the Java Sea Shipwreck, the assemblage includes thousands of Chinese ceramics, many of which are marked with inscriptions. Ranging from commemorative inscriptions, dates, auspicious symbols, marks of commendation, and the surnames of families, the inscriptions yield significant information about Song period ceramic production. A unique subset of the Java Sea Shipwreck inscriptions feature numbers derived from multiple numeric systems that were in use simultaneously across the diverse Indian Ocean maritime trade routes. “Counting Cargo: Indian Ocean Numeric Inscriptions from the Java Sea Shipwreck” will explore the implications for maritime trade of the numeric pluralism evident in the numbered objects.

Amanda Respess, respess.1@osu.edu,

Assistant Professor of Premodern World History, The Ohio State University

Non-presenting co-authors: Lisa C. Niziolek (The Field Museum, lniziolek@fieldmuseum.org), Weibin Peng (Xiamen Museum, weibinpeng@sina.com), and Gary M. Feinman (The Field Museum, gfeinman@fieldmuseum.org)