Ancient pottery can remain recognizable underwater for centuries because firing turns clay into a durable ceramic material, but survival does not mean the object stayed unchanged. Porosity, glaze, seabed chemistry, sediment and recovery conditions all affect how much damage occurs. A well-documented shipwreck example shows both sides: pottery buried for about 800 years was recovered, yet its green glaze had corroded.
Why fired pottery can last underwater
Firing transforms clay into ceramic, an inorganic material that can persist far longer than many organic objects. But ceramic is not automatically waterproof or chemically inert. The body’s composition and firing, any glaze, and the object’s surroundings determine how it behaves over time.
Porous earthenware and denser ceramics differ
Donny L. Hamilton’s underwater archaeology conservation manual distinguishes porous earthenware from high-fired stoneware and porcelain. Earthenware can absorb soluble salts from seawater; the manual says high-fired stoneware and porcelain are less likely to take up those salts. Even a glazed vessel is not necessarily protected: salts can collect at the boundary between glaze and ceramic body.
Burial can limit disturbance, but not stop chemistry
Sediment may shelter an object from movement or direct exposure, depending on the site, but it does not guarantee preservation. Water in sediment pores can still react with a ceramic or glaze. Conditions vary with burial depth, local chemistry, oxygen, organisms and the material itself.
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What happened to pottery from the Nanhai I wreck
A 2023 study examined five green-glazed pottery samples from the Southern Song Nanhai I shipwreck, dating to 1127–1279. The pieces had been in the marine environment for about 800 years. The researchers found corrosion in all sampled ceramics; the green-glazed examples were the most severely corroded. Detailed analysis focused on a representative sample, so the findings describe this particular group rather than all ancient pottery.
A vulnerable glaze on a recoverable ceramic
The studied glaze was a low-temperature glass containing silica, aluminum oxide and lead oxide, with its green color mainly from copper ions. Researchers observed alternating silicon-rich and lead-rich layers and interpreted them as evidence of coupled dissolution and precipitation at the glaze surface. In other words, the ceramic could persist as an archaeological object while its surface coating underwent substantial chemical change.
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The local seabed mattered
The Nanhai I archaeological material lies at a reported water depth of 22–24 meters and, on average, 1–3 meters into a silt seabed. The study describes low-oxygen sediment and chemically active pore water, including ions that can react with lead in the glaze. It also notes damage associated with long immersion, sedimentation and marine-organism coverage. “Underwater” is therefore not a single preservation condition, and this lead-glaze case should not be generalized to porcelain, unglazed pottery or every glaze recipe.
How marine burial can alter a pot’s composition
Burial can change more than appearance. A 2021 comparative study of Hellenistic and Late Roman Republican amphorae from 15 sites along the Dalmatian coast found differences between marine-context and terrestrial finds: marine amphorae showed enrichment of arsenic, calcium, sodium, antimony, strontium and uranium, and depletion of barium, cesium, potassium and rubidium. These are group-level results from that study, not a prediction for every submerged vessel.
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- PREMIUM HANDCRAFTED ARTISANRY: Sculpted from high-grade pottery clay with intricate, lifelike details, showcasing the exquisite traditional craftsmanship of Chinese artisans.
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The practical implication is that archaeologists must account for burial alteration when using a ceramic’s elemental composition to infer where it was made. A measured chemical signature may reflect both the original material and later exposure.
Why recovery can make salt damage visible
Porous pottery may retain soluble salts acquired in a marine setting. After recovery, changes in moisture can cause salts to dissolve and recrystallize inside pores. That process can contribute to surface flaking, microscopic cracking and, over time, breakage. A conservation manual describes this risk, and a study of Roman and Byzantine ceramics from Kerpe Bay also reports salt crystallization associated with fragmentation and cracks.
Because damage can develop as an object’s environment changes, an excavated pot may need specialist assessment and controlled desalination. These conservation findings are not a reason to wash or treat an archaeological find at home.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What determines whether ancient pottery survives?
- Ceramic fabric: Porous earthenware can take up salts more readily than high-fired stoneware or porcelain.
- Surface and glaze: A glaze can corrode even while the ceramic body remains recognizable; the Nanhai I result applies to its sampled low-temperature lead-bearing glaze.
- Burial setting: Sediment, pore-water chemistry, oxygen conditions and biological activity vary by site. Burial may reduce disturbance but does not halt chemical reactions.
- Exposure after excavation: Moisture changes can mobilize salts in pores and contribute to cracking or surface loss.
Centuries underwater can leave a pot recognizable, but not untouched. Its condition is the outcome of the ceramic recipe, the seabed it occupied and what happened when it was brought back into a different environment.
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Further reading
- Zhou et al., “Corrosion of glaze in the marine environment: study on the green-glazed pottery from the Southern Song ‘Nanhai I’ shipwreck (1127–1279 A.D.)”
- Miše, Quinn and Glascock, “Lost at sea: Identifying the post-depositional alteration of amphorae in ancient shipwrecks”
- Donny L. Hamilton, Methods of Conserving Archaeological Material from Underwater Sites
- “Desalination of Underwater Ceramic Cultural Heritage: The Example of Kerpe Underwater Excavation”
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