• 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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Bukit Choras Yields Life-Size Buddha Relic

28 June 2024
in Malaysia
Tags: Buddha (sculpture)Bujang ValleyBukit ChorasCentre for Global Archaeological ResearchKedah (state)Nasha bin Rodziadi Khaw (person)NationalismsculptureUniversiti Sains Malaysia (university)
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Source: Edge 20240626

Source: Edge 20240626

via various sources, 26 June 2024: Researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia have unearthed a nearly complete life-size Buddha statue at the Bukit Choras temple in Kedah. The statue, dating back to the 7th or 8th century highlighting the historical and religious significance of the site, but also raises political undertones in Malaysia over “who” was “here” “first” and what it means for racial and religious relations in the country.

Researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) have made another mark in the history books after unearthing the largest Buddhist temple structure in Bukit Choras, Yan, Kedah, which dates back 1,200 years.

The result is a near-complete, life-size Buddha figure in a meditative position inside the temple, located north of Gunung Jerai in Kedah. The team from the Global Archaeological Research Centre (PPAG), led by Dr. Nasha Rodziadi Khaw, is also working to salvage two other relics believed to be Buddha figures, though these may be broken and missing their heads. According to the researchers, a fourth relic could be hidden within the temple structure.

Source: USM researchers discover life-size Buddha figure at Bukit Choras temple

See also:

  • USM researchers unearth life-size Buddha figure at Bukit Choras temple | New Straits Times, 26 Jun 2024
  • Motac: Buddha statue found in Kedah’s Bukit Choras older than Angkor Wat | Malay Mail, 26 Jun 2026
  • Archaeological Sites In Kedah Should Force A Rewriting Of Malaysian History | EurasiaReview, 26 Jun 2024
  • Arca Buddha di Bukit Choras, Kedah lebih tua dari Angkor Wat | Astro Awani, 26 Jun 2024
  • Satu lagi arca bentuk manusia ditemui di Bukit Choras | Nerita Harian, 26 Jun 2024
  • Celebrate archaeological findings of Buddha statue in Kedah; don’t politicise it with racist slur | Focus Malaysia, 26 Jun 2024
  • QuickCheck: Is a recently-discovered religious statue in Kedah older than Angkor Wat? | The Star, 26 Jun 2024
  • USM researchers unearth life-size Buddha figure and inscriptions at Bukit Choras’ ancient temple | The Sun, 27 Jun 2024
  • Malaysia’s Latest Archaeological Find – A Buddha Statue Older Than Angkor Wat | The Rakyat Post, 28 Jun 2024
  • Arca Buddha di Bukit Choras simbol kemajmukan wujud berabad lamanya di Kedah – Penyelidik | Astro Awani, 01 Jul 2024

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