via The Temasek Working Paper Series, September 2023: The article by Dr Natalie Ong challenges long-standing assumptions about the origin and symbolism of a gold armband found in 1928 in Singapore, revealing it to be connected to northwest South Asia rather than Javanese Majapahit culture.
This paper focuses on the gold armband that was unearthed in 1928 on Fort Canning Hill in Singapore as part of a cache of eleven ornaments. The initial attempt to identify the objects attributed them to East Javanese Majapahit origin, and the motif on the armband as a ‘Kāla head’. For nearly a century since, this attribution has prevailed. The present study, the first and only archaeometallurgical analysis of ancient Temasek’s gold ornaments to date, challenges this assumption through a close technical and scientific examination of the armband’s manufacture in combination with a detailed stylistic analysis. The article retraces the history of the ornaments and their archaeological context, then compares the visible cultural and technological elements on the armband with diverse archaeological remains from around Asia. On this basis, it is argued that the armband was commissioned by an extremely wealthy individual and worn by one of marriageable age. It furthermore features neither a Kāla head nor any trace of Javanese manufacture or Majapahit influence. Instead, a siṁhamukha (lion face) is shown, which, along with other indicators intrinsic to the construction and style of the ornament, all point to a connection with northwest South Asia. This study demonstrates that, far from being simply beautiful treasure, jewellery is a repository of information that can impart new perspectives from which to review ancient societies and their social practices. However, this preliminary conclusion should be viewed in conjunction with the other extant objects of the hoard, and should also be subject to further analysis such as within the broader scope of archaeometallurgical research on the metal-working industries in both Temasek and the region.
Source: Temasek Working Paper Series Archives – ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
