SEAArch – The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog

Readers in Singapore may be interested in this public lecture by Dr. Michael Flecker about the Belitung shipwreck, soon to be exhibited in Singapore and around the world!

Treasures from the Sea: An Arab Shipwreck in Indonesian waters
by Dr. Michael Flecker
Date: 21 August 2010
Time: 4.00pm
Venue: Imagination Room, National Library of Singapore
* Registration required. See here.

The Belitung Wreck, an Arab dhow dating all the way back to the first half of the 9th century, was found in the Indonesian waters. Curiously it carried a cargo almost exclusively Chinese. Dr Michael Flecker, who directed the archaeological excavation of this magnificent find, will discuss the excavation, the ceramic and non-ceramic cargo, dating, identifying the origin and likely route of the ship and the composition of the crew. What was this Arab vessel doing so far from home?

The newest exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore showcases the treasures from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the first such international travelling exhibition to do so.

Sumatran artefacts on display
Straits Times, 28 July 2010
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The treasures from the Belitung Shipwreck will be exhibited internationally for the first time, starting with Singapore later this year, and in the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in 2012.

Rare find to debut in S’pore
Straits Times, 27 July 2010
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Readers in Singapore may be interested in this talk happening tomorrow at the National Library.

Singapore: A Hub of the Interaction between Chinese and Southeast ASian Ceramic Studies in SEA
Date: 8 July 2010
Time: 5:00PM – Thursday Jul 8, 6:30PM
Venue: Level 5 – Imagination in National Library Building

This talk explores the variation of the first gateway of the study-exhibition catalogues from 1960s to 2010. This talk examines the past achievement and the future trends of the interaction between Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramic studies during 9th to 16th centuries through reviewing the exhibition catalogue collections at the major libraries in Singapore.

Ms Sharon Wong Wei Yee is currently doing her research fellowship with the National Library of Singapore, after being awarded the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship in January 2010. She is the PhD candidate in Southeast ASian Studies Programme from National University of Singapore. Her current research interests include Chinese trade ceramics, and South China and Southeast Asia interaction in pre-modern period.

At long last! The Jewel of Muscat arrived at its final destination, Singapore, over the weekend and was received by the President of Singapore. The Jewel of Muscat will form the centrepiece of a new maritime museum in Singapore. Read also Jerome’s account of when the Jewel sailed into the harbour in Singapore. If you missed it earlier, you can check out my visit to the Jewel when it called at Georgetown, Penang last month.

Jewel of Muscat arrives in Singapore
Channel NewsAsia, 03 July 2010

Jewel Of Muscat To Become Centrepiece Of Sentosa Maritime Museum
Bernama, 01 July 2010

Jewel of Muscat to be housed at RWS’ Maritime Xperiential Museum
Channels NewsAsia, 01 July 2010
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Readers might be interested in the CFP whose deadline is coming up at the end of the month.

International Conference on Inter-Asian Connections II: Singapore
Singapore: December 8-10, 2010

Workshop Title: Inter-Asian temple and trust networks within and out of Southeast Asia
Workshop Director: Kenneth Dean East Asian Studies, McGill University
Deadline: 31 May 2010
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Singapore’s National Heritage Board has no plans to gazette the foundations of the 100-year-old Fort Tanjong Katong for the time being. The fort was excavated in 2004 through a community grassroots effort and later reburied to prevent further deterioration to the stone foundations of the site.

Excavated bastion of Fort Tanjong Katong

Fort Tanjong Katong will not be gazetted
AsiaOne, 19 May 2010
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