Shipwreck Archaeometallurgy: Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Wreck

Book excerpt: This book presents a quantitative result from the elemental Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (hereafter known as ICP-OES) analysis for three bronze gongs and 10 copper alloy artefacts from the shipwreck site off the northernmost tip of Borneo, Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Wreck the oldest shipwreck discovered in Malaysian waters. Despite various tools and techniques to obtain the elemental composition of metal artefacts, ICP-OES is considered modern and reliable analytical chemical instrument for these bronze artefacts from shipwreck and museum collection. The analyzed artefacts from the cargo, based on the decoration of ceramics pottery, patinas AD – 1279 AD. The elemental data would pertain the metal present in China and reflects the maritime trade by the Chinese to the Southeast Asian countries during the time period.