A Preliminary Study On The Seaports And Related Rchaeological Relics In North China During Song And Yuan Dynasties

The period of Song and Yuan Dynasties witnessed a vigorous development in maritime exchanges and trades,when coastal ports played a significant role in maritime material transport,trade in goods,foreign exchanges and so on.As the archaeological works carry out,discoveries of port ruins of this period continue to increase,becoming important materials for the studies of the ports at that time.The coastal ports of the Song and Yuan Dynasties in the southern region are in relatively stable status,but the northern ports rose and fell from time to time due to political changes.The academe had been paying relatively lower attention to the archaeological data of the coastal ports of northern region in this period.By sorting out the discoveries of port ruin and porcelains in the Song and Yuan Dynasties,this paper preliminarily analyzed the changes in time and function of the ports;in addition,taking the clues provided by the unearthed porcelains,this paper analyzed the connections between every port and the connections between ports the other sites including the sunken ships and the kilns,endeavoring to speculate the transportation routes at that time.The paper had been divided into five chapters.Chapter 1 An overview of archaeological discoveries and studies.This chapter provided an overview of the archaeological discoveries and studies relating to the port.Chapter 2 A comb and analysis on the remains of the northern exporting harbors in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.In this chapter,the author conducted an analysis of the port locations and unearthed porcelains,and made a preliminary judgment on the period of the ports,the nature of the ports and the location of porcelain kilns.Chapter 3 An analysis of the porcelains unearthed around the northern exporting harbors.In this chapter,the author discussed the material culture of the areas where each port resided during this period,centered on the unearthed porcelain.Chapter 4 The system of the northern exporting harbors of the Song and Yuan Dynasties.This chapter analyzed the port status in each period and discussed the port system of each period and causes for the formation of each system.Also in this chapter,the author analyzed the porcelains,aiming at figuring out the port-kiln and port-port interrelations,as well as the transportation routes.Chapter 5 Discussion on the related issues.This chapter analyzed the cultural status of the ports and unearthed porcelains,explored reasons for the rise and fall of the ports,and discussed the role the northern harbors played in the Silk Road.Chapter 6 Summarize the result of study briefly and point out the shortages.