• Brunei’s archaeology does not get nearly enough attention.⠀
⠀
For this bonus post, I’m looking at Kota Batu Archaeological Park, the site of Brunei’s old capital. It is not a spectacular ruin in the usual sense — no towering temples, no monumental gateways — but its fragments tell a fascinating story: tombs, ceramics, sandstone pillar bases, river defences, house posts, imported wares, and traces of a working port city.⠀
⠀
Kota Batu shows Brunei not as a quiet corner of Southeast Asian archaeology, but as part of the maritime world that linked Borneo with China, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and beyond.
  • This week’s Southeast Asian Archaeology newsletter is about movement, adaptation, and why archaeology is rarely as tidy as we pretend.⠀
⠀
Inside:⠀
🏹 a new review of bow-and-arrow evidence from India to Oceania⠀
🪙 a study of how Roman materials were filtered and remade in Southeast Asia⠀
🌊 new work on maritime links between Angkor and China during the megadrought period⠀
⠀
Also this week: Angkor palace waterworks, the Cẩm An shipwreck, and the reopening of Phimai National Museum.⠀
⠀
Link in bio / https://bit.ly/4dV88wS ⠀
#SoutheastAsianArchaeology #Archaeology #Heritage #Angkor #Vietnam #Thailand #Cambodia #AncientTrade #MaritimeArchaeology
  • New this week in Southeast Asian Archaeology: the Plain of Jars, trade beads, burial rituals, Philippine obsidian, coastal watchtowers, public archaeology, and a museum rethink of the galleon trade.⠀
⠀
The lead story is a new paper from Laos, where one huge jar at Site 75 contained the remains of at least 37 people and hints at a long, careful mortuary tradition. From there, the issue moves across the region, with a particularly strong run of stories from the Philippines on exchange networks, local histories, and the stories archaeology tells in public.⠀
⠀
Jars, beads, boats, and the occasional inconvenient fact. https://bit.ly/3RqKWyW ⠀
⠀
#SoutheastAsianArchaeology #Archaeology #Heritage #Laos #Philippines #Museums #PublicHistory
  • This week: Đồng Dương, ancient Champa, broken bricks, border temples, Buddhist architecture on the move, and a reminder that archaeology is rarely just about the past.⠀
⠀
Link in bio / read here: https://bit.ly/4ePHSpL ⠀
⠀
#SoutheastAsianArchaeology #DongDuong #Champa #Vietnam #Cambodia #Thailand #Myanmar #Archaeology #Heritage
  • This week in Southeast Asian Archaeology: a remarkable burial find in Phetchaburi, an old perahu under review in Kelantan, and the Po Nagar festival in Vietnam as a case of living heritage in action. ⠀
⠀
https://bit.ly/48PAeI5 ⠀
⠀
#archaeology #southeastAsia #southeastasianarchaeology
  • The Ayala Museum’s Gold of Ancestors exhibition showcases over a thousand gold objects, many originating from Butuan and the Surigao Treasure and generally dated to the 10th–13th centuries CE. These pieces demonstrate the Philippines’ participation in extensive regional trade networks and the high level of craftsmanship achieved before Spanish colonisation.

#southeastasianarchaeology #philippines #ayalamuseum #surigao #butuan
  • A quick visit to the National Museum of the Philippines earlier this week, particularly to the National Museum of Anthropology. Here are my 5 highlights.

Have you been to the National Museum in Manila? What are your favourite pieces?

#manila #philippines #nationalmuseum #archaeology #southeastasianarchaeology
  • From Angkor wall repairs and Óc Eo museum plans to Preah Vihear restoration politics and Sulawesi cliff burials, this week’s newsletter rounds up Southeast Asian archaeology with context. Subscribe for the stories behind the headlines.

https://bit.ly/4w8870M
  • 20 years ago I started Southeast Asian Archaeology with a few blog posts.⠀
It somehow turned into a weekly newsletter read around the world.⠀
Reflections, AMA, and what readers want next: ⠀
https://bit.ly/4cNZVKi⠀
  • New finds lead this week’s Southeast Asian Archaeology newsletter: possible Khmer temple remains in Mondulkiri and Korat, a prehistoric settlement in Lào Cai dating to around 2000–1500 BCE, and wooden stakes in Hoa Lư that may yet reshape how we think about the Trần-era landscape.⠀
⠀
https://bit.ly/3QomnlM
Friday, June 5, 2026
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Is The Philippines The Biblical Land of Ophir? Congressman Sparks Debate

4 August 2023
in Philippines
Tags: pseudoarchaeologyroundup
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Source: Rappler 20230801

Source: Rappler 20230801

via Rappler, 01 August 2023: It’s rare we have a pseudoarchaeology post – Philippine Congressman Dan Fernandez, in a 24-minute speech, entertained the theory that the Philippines could be the biblical land of Ophir, citing various speculative historical evidence and contemporary conspiracy theories.

Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez is flirting with – or maybe seriously entertaining – the idea that the Philippines is the land of Ophir, a biblical region or port that is supposedly rich in gold.

Its exact location is unknown, but a quick search on Facebook would indicate that it has caught the attention of conspiracy theorists in the Philippines.

Source: In lengthy speech, congressman rambles about theory on ancient Philippines

See also:

  • What Is Ophir and Why Does a Laguna Congressman Think the Philippines Could Be It? | Esquire, 01 Aug 2023

This YouTube explainer, by a Filipino, explains the biblical land of Ophir for context.

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