舌尖上的航海丨第32集 太陽船里的胡椒香

“東方朔”號來到亞力山大港的當天，一下船臧佳就趕往”太陽船博物館”。

此刻，薛靳早已在此等侯。薛靳是中國遠洋公司駐埃及首席代表，原來”東方朔”號的船長。

臧佳是船上的水手長，酷愛船模。家中有個小小的船模陳列室，里面藏著不少”寶物”：鄭和七下西洋的”寶船”，跨洋西渡美洲的”龍頭鳳尾“船，懸掛海盜“骷髏”的多桅快船，剛剛仿制的”南海一號“商船…。都是臧佳從世界各地淘來的。

不久前，臧佳聽說埃及金字塔下新建了一座”太陽船博物路”，陳列著一艘二千多年前制造的船。

“東方朔”號來到亞力山大港前一天，臧佳撥通了老上級薛靳的電話

他們來到太陽船博物館

”太陽船這個名字很奇特?！毖榻B說：“古埃及人認為人死后要飛向太陽，飛向天國，在墓旁埋條船，死后就可以乘它飛天，安居天國。所以這種陪葬船叫太陽船?！?/p>

薛靳多次光顧太陽船博物館，成了臧佳的導游：“博物博里展示的太陽船是古埃及四代王朝法老的陪葬品?！?/p>

天氣雖然炎熱，博物舘仍然擠滿了來自世界各地的游客。

“這是迄今為止現存的世界上最大，最古老，保存最完好的船，報其珍貴?！毖呎f邊向守館人打招呼。守館人見到薛靳極其熱情，破例發(fā)了免費參觀證?！榜邕@里多趟，已和他成了老朋友。埃及人對中國船員十分熱情友好?！毖吪c對方握手，也把臧佳介紹給對方。

走進博物館底層大廳，眼前就出現了一條很深的大坑。

“這里是太陽船出土的地方。”接待他們的是開羅大學歷史系畢業(yè)的爰拉女士，能講一口流利的英語。她介紹說：”太陽船出土位置就在金字塔南端?！?/p>

臧佳邊看邊聽介紹：”太陽船發(fā)現于20世紀中葉，是考古學家卡邁爾先生首先發(fā)現的。后來，文物修復專家艾哈曼德在沒有任何圖紙，繪畫和文字資料的情況下，歷經了十多年才恢復了太陽船昔日的雄姿?！?/p>

說著，愛拉拿出一張復原的太陽船照片說：”這艘船不僅是陪葬品，還是當年埃及水上運輸的主要工具。埃及人用它把法老的遺體，以及法老日常使用的日用品和食物，一并從尼羅河運到金字塔下?！?/p>

他們走上二樓天橋。一艘架在大廳的太陽船復制品展現在眼前。標牌上寫著：船高7，5米，寬3，9來，高41，5。

臧佳發(fā)現，這艘船不僅甲板上有涼棚和舵艙，船頭還刻有荷花，船尾畫有花草。爰拉女士解釋說：”從造船技術角度看，太陽船達到了較高水平。狹長呈流線型的船體和扁薄成刀刃的船底，讓太陽船利于破浪又減少航行阻力。船上裝有十把木槳，搖起為太陽船提供動力，船尾兩把直插水中的木槳，則和船舵有相似的作用?！?/p>

這時，臧佳驚奇地發(fā)現，龐大的太陽船的船板上，沒有一顆鐵釘，各部分全靠股股棕麻繩梱梆在一起的?！?000多年前沒有鐵釘，現在看起來有些簡陋?！彪祭空f。

一直沉默的薛靳船長開了口：“這是劃時代的創(chuàng)舉，顯示了古埃及人的智慧?！?/p>

說話間，一支電視攝影組來到博物館。走在前面的是位雙鬢斑白的老者。

爰拉女士介紹說，長者正是太陽船的發(fā)現者卡邁爾先生。

聽完愛拉的引薦，卡邁爾高興地說：“歡迎來自中國的朋友。最近看了中國的紀錄片《南海一號》，很受啟發(fā)。中國和埃及都是歷史悠久的文明古國，兩國的文化是人類文明中的明珠?！?/p>

提到《南海一號》，臧佳激動不已。一年多以前，為尋找和仿制《南海一號》船模，利用假期，專門來到廣東的《南海一號博物館》。

《南海一號》是一艘南宋時期的木質古沉船。沉沒于廣東江門以南20海里處的南海。距今己有800多年的歷史，由于海水和泥沙隔絕氧氣，整體打撈出水后，仍然保存完好，甚至艙內的物品，植物遺存仍然十分豐富。特別一百多粒的顏色灰暗的香料一胡椒，更讓臧佳著迷。因為這是歷史上西方人尋找的”寶物”之一。

臧佳將參觀《南海一號博館》的事情講給卡邁爾。

當講到胡椒時，卡邁爾按耐不佳激動地說：“在我們研究過的許多《太陽船》里都發(fā)現過胡椒香料。唐代之后，中國的商船已進入紅海，有些船從紅海登陸后，靠駱駝把貨物送到尼羅河上游的阿斯旺港，再由埃及船隊所屬的《太陽船》，把貨物運往地中海，向歐洲出口。胡椒是歐洲人十分珍稀的美食香料。幾乎每艘《太陽船》都載有胡椒，遠遠就會聞到胡椒的香味?！?/p>

聽完卡邁爾的介紹，臧佳十分高興，征得博物館的同意，走近《太陽船》，用隨身帶的相機，跑前跑后拍個不仃。

至今，由于種種原因，臧佳的《太陽船》船模尚未制成，但是，每當看到那張《太陽船》的照片時，總會想起里面的黑胡椒，仿彿聞到了胡椒的香味。這是中國人的驕傲，航海者的驕傲：舌尖上的航海，為世界經濟和文明的發(fā)現做出了不可磨滅的貢獻！

張濤系中國航海學會科普專家、中國遠洋海運作家協(xié)會副主席、中國知名海員作家、“一帶一路”應用型海事 人才研究院特聘研究員。作為遠洋船長，其在工作之余，筆耕不輟，為宣傳航海文化做出了較大貢獻，被譽 為“當代弘揚航海文化有突出貢獻的航海人”。先后在人《民日報》《中國建設》《海事大觀》《航?！贰吨袊?員》等報紙雜志上發(fā)表了大量文章，并出版了《我們都是無產者》《船長與黃金》《路娃航海記》《船長風云 錄》《海上天方夜譚》《舌尖上的航?！返仁嗖拷偃f余字反映航海經歷的文藝作品。其中《我們都是無產 者》和《海上天方夜譚》獲國家優(yōu)秀作品獎；《路娃航海記》獲中國航海學會特別貢獻獎；《舌尖上的航海》曾 在國內多家網站和報紙雜志上發(fā)表及刊登，受到廣大讀者，特別是航海愛好者的熱烈歡迎和好評；同時被譯 成英文，受到外國青少年和航海愛好者的喜愛。 2021年3月，江蘇航運職業(yè)技術學院設立了“張濤海員作家”工作室。希望此工作室能夠創(chuàng)作出更多更好的作 品來弘揚和發(fā)展海洋文化！

As soon as the SS Eastern Moon arrived at the port of Alexandria, Zang rushed to the

Solar Barque Museum.

Jin, the former captain of the SS Eastern Moon and the Chinese Shipping Company

ambassador to Egypt, was already there waiting for him.

Zang was the chief shiphand on Jin’s ship, and was a huge collector of ship models and

replicas. Back home, he had a small showroom dedicated to the treasures he had collected

over the years: the vessel that Zheng He sailed the seven seas with, the dragon-headed,

phoenix-tailed craft that leapt across the ocean for the Americas, pirate ships with skulls

hanging on their bows, and most recently, a replica of the Nanhai One merchant ship. They

were Zang’s proudest, most prized possessions.

Not long ago, Zang heard that a museum dedicated to the Egyptian solar barque was

being built near the pyramids of Alexandria. Apparently, the museum displayed a ship that set

sail over 2000 years ago.

Zang knew he had to visit the museum and see the majestic vessel for himself. He

contacted his old captain, Jin, and asked Jin to meet him at the museum to take a tour

together.

“The name Solar Barque is fascinating,” Jin said as he and Zang walked through the

exhibit, “Ancient Egyptians believed that people sailed towards the sun and heaven after

death, so if they buried a boat with the coffins of their loved ones who had passed on, then

they’d be able to sail the buried boat towards heaven. Those buried boats were given the

name Solar Barques.”

Jin had visited the Solar Barque Museum many times, and acted as Zang’s tour guide.

Even though the weather was scorching and parched, the museum was filled with people

from all across the world.

“These exhibits present the burial objects of pharaohs from each of the four great

dynasties of Ancient Egypt,” Jin explained, waving hello to a passing museum curator. “This

is by far the largest, oldest, and best preserved ship in world history, and is extremely

valuable.”

The curator seemed extremely enthusiastic to see Jin visiting the exhibit with a friend,

and even gifted them two museum passes for free. “I’ve been here so many times that the

curator and I have become pretty close friends,” Jin said, shaking the curator’s hand and

introducing him to Zang. “The curator here has always been very nice to me and the other

crewmen of the SS Eastern Moon.”

As Jin and Zang walked into the lowest level of the museum, they were met with a large

dent in the floor.

“This is where the solar barque was discovered by archaeologists,” A history graduate

from Cairo University named Ella told Jin and Zang, “The exact location where the solar

barque was excavated is directly south of the pyramids.”

Zang slowly walked around the excavation site and listened to Ella’s descriptions. “The

solar barque was found during the 20th century by an archaeologist named Dr Kamal. Later, a

restoration expert named Dr Ahmand took ten years to rebuild the ship to its former glory

without any drawings, blueprints, or written materials.”

Ella took out a photo of the restored solar barque and showed it to Jin and Zang. “The

solar barque was not only a burial object, but also an important transportation vessel for

Egyptians back then. They used it to transport the remains of the pharaohs, as well as the

daily necessities and the food they left behind, from the Nile River all the way to the

pyramids.”

Jin and Zang followed Ella to the second floor and onto the skybridge. The restored

solar barque stood tall in front of them, with a height of over 41 meters tall.

The boat had a small cabin built at its center, and the wood around its brims were carved

with flowers and symbols.

“Considering the shipbuilding technology of the past, the solar barque far out reached

the expertise of any other vessel created during ancient times,” Ella said, “The long, narrow

streamlined hull and the flat, thin, knife-edged bottom allowed the solar barque to easily

break waves and reduce resistance during navigation. The ship was equipped with ten

wooden oars, which are rocked to generate power for the sun ship.”

Zang observed the solar barque closely, and was surprised to see that the large deck of

the solar barque was not held together with a single nail, and was instead bound by thick

strings of brown rope.

“2000 years ago, the Ancient Egyptians didn’t have any iron nails,” Ella told him,

“Doesn’t it look incredible?”

Captain Jin, who had been silent, slowly nodded, and said, “This is a creation that went

beyond the limits of technology, and truly shows the wisdom of the Ancient Egyptians.”

As they spoke, a camera crew from a local television studio walked in filming a

grey-haired man wearing a suit. Ella pulled Jin and Zang aside, and whispered, that this man

was none other than Dr Kamal, the archaeologist who discovered the solar barque.

After listening to Ella’s introductions, Dr Kamal greeted Jin and Zang delightedly.

“Welcome to our exhibit!” He exclaimed. “I recently watched the Chinese documentary about

the Nanhai One, and was very inspired by its restoration. China and Egypt have a lot in

common as two of the world’s oldest civilizations, and there is so much we can learn about

each others’ cultures.”

An excited grin stretched across Zang’s face as Dr Kamal mentioned the Nanhai One.

Around a year ago, Zang traveled to the Nanhai Museum in Guangdong, China on his limited

days of vacation just to see a replica of the old merchant ship.

The Nanhai One was a Chinese vessel that sank into the ocean off the coast of Jiangmen,

Guangdong during the Song Dynasty. It has a history of over 800 years, and because the ship

was surrounded by seawater and mud, it was well-preserved after being untouched for

centuries. Even the items in the cabins, including spices, peppers, and grains of rice, retained

their shapes when being extracted.

The peppers in the Nanhai One were an object of interest for Zang. Zang knew peppers

were one of the many spices that foreign traders sought after in China, and told Zang about

both his visit to the Nanhai One Museum and his knowledge on the spice.

When he mentioned peppers, Dr Kamal couldn’t help but tell him, “We’ve found

peppers in many of the solar barques that we’ve discovered, too! After the Tang Dynasty,

when Chinese merchant ships sailed far into the Red Sea and docked in Egypt, many traders

sought after the Chinese merchants on camels and bought and delivered pepper to the Aswan

Port near the Upper Nile. Egyptian traders then transported the spices to Europe on the solar

barque, making it a rare, gourmet spice for Europeans. Almost every solar barque carried

pepper, and the scent of pepper could be noticed anywhere near them.”

Zang was completely satisfied after his conversation with Dr Kamal. With the consent of

the museum, he walked all around the solar barque and took many photos.

Ever since his visit to the Solar Barque Museum, Zang had been trying to build his own

model of the solar barque he saw. Every time he looked at his photos, he thought of the

transportation of pepper from China, to Egypt, then to Europe, almost as if he could smell the

spices himself. Sailing and food went hand in hand, just as seafaring made so many

contributions to world civilizations and economies!

Zhang Tao is an expert in the fields of navigation, maritime history, and nautical science. He is involved in the Chinese Institute of Navigation, and is the vice president of the Chinese Association of Maritime Authors, a well-known Chinese author of subjects related to seafaring, as well as a distinguished researcher for the nautical analysis of the “One Belt One Road” Initiative. Aside from leading sailing crews as an esteemed captain of many Chinese ships, he works tirelessly in his spare time and has made important contributions to nautical culture and history. He has been described as “a navigator with momentous involvement in the promotion of seafaring culture in modern times”. He has published articles in People’s Daily, China’s Construction, Maritime Spectacle, Sailing, and Chinese Sailors and more magazines and newspapers. His authorial works include We Are All Proletarians, The Captain and Gold, Lu Wa’s Sailing Journal, The Captain of Wind and Clouds, Fairy Tales from the Sea, and The Taste of Seafaring, all of which reflect and promote the experience and culture of seafaring to millions of readers. Among his works, We Are All Proletarians and Fairy Tales from the Sea have won the National Outstanding Novel Award; Luwa’s Sailing Journal won the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Chinese Institute of Navigation; and The Taste of Seafaring has been published on multiple Chinese websites and magazines, attracting new waves of readers and audiences and acclaim from those with particular interest in sailing. The Taste of Seafaring has now been translated into English and is beloved by youths and nautical enthusiasts worldwide. In March of 2021, the Jiangsu Shipping College established the Zhang Tao Sailing Author’s Workshop. Hopefully, more wonderful stories and writings will come to fruition with the help of the workshop, and inspire people from all across the globe to learn about maritime culture!