1000 Year Old Ship Wreck

A shipwreck, 1000 years old has been “found in Kerala”:http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=0401/newsbriefs/boat
bq. More than 1,000 years old, the 72-foot-long sailing barge is made from caramel-colored anjili, a hardwood still growing nearby, but it lacks the sewn-plank construction common in India for the past 2,000 years.
bq. Though its uniqueness has led to speculation that foreign seafarers built the ship from local materials for ocean-bound voyages, Pederson says the boat’s construction would keep it closer to home. With a flat bottom and sharp transitions to the sides, “it’s bad for the ocean,” he says. “It’s better for short coastal runs and inland waters.”
In 1000 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni was making his invasions into North India performing his God given duty of removing idolatry. From 800-1100, Kerala was under the Chera Kingdom and the Kulashekshara Perumals ruled.
Kerala had trade contats with all countries from China to Palestine even before Christ. During those times boats without masts or rudder were very popular and were being rowed along the sea coast with 6 or 8 oarsmen. These boats were used to transport goods between coastal towns. According to V. Balakrishnan in his book “History of Syrian Christians of India”:http://www.mergingcurrents.com/book.php?BookSKU=979
bq. The spices, including pepper were transported from Kerala to the port of Broach in Gujarat, which was at that time the busiest port in the West Coast. From there goods were transported in much bigger ships either to ports situated at the end of the Persian Gulf, or after going around Arabia, to the ports situated at the end of Acquaba or the Suez, depending on the ultimate point of destination.
The information about this ship is very limited at this moment. We will keep track of the developments.