![This week in Southeast Asian Archaeology: Prambanan gets some renewed attention, Phimai Black pottery surfaces at Mun Bon Dam, and I’m taking a short break next week.⠀
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The featured stories look at the new Indonesia–India conservation project at Prambanan, focusing on the temple complex’s ruined perwara shrines, and a striking Late Prehistoric find in northeast Thailand: a remarkably complete Phimai Black vessel discovered as water levels fell at Mun Bon Dam.⠀
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Temples, pottery, reservoirs, and a little scheduled rest. Back again on 27 July.⠀
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Read this week’s newsletter: [link in bio]⠀
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#SoutheastAsianArchaeology #Archaeology #Heritage #Prambanan #Thailand #Indonesia #Cambodia #Vietnam #CulturalHeritage #Substack](https://scontent-sin6-3.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/744214042_18361115071209510_2262608560893170251_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=3QMjcTt1p8IQ7kNvwGwmgj9&_nc_oc=AdrtNR1xM_zZ6um0-2ZduJ6-8W6tiD7qLJG7ytTpPB2Q8qGiMbReDZ_VP3IddcACGgg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sin6-3.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=R2jm3F7XqzDiodrSbpi6zg&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLzxbiJQlhAO8HXPudlNyevCNbY_y7MfWVyVGXFQvmYQC96RnnpxPYcEtyr65SBp7pV9oRvhCPA&oh=00_AQEmoRkKIzZlaJc1oqnI9NQCOA225b2k-gQmjwCsn816XQ&oe=6A882971 "This week in Southeast Asian Archaeology: Prambanan gets some renewed attention, Phimai Black pottery surfaces at Mun Bon Dam, and I’m taking a short break next week.⠀
⠀
The featured stories look at the new Indonesia–India conservation project at Prambanan, focusing on the temple complex’s ruined perwara shrines, and a striking Late Prehistoric find in northeast Thailand: a remarkably complete Phimai Black vessel discovered as water levels fell at Mun Bon Dam.⠀
⠀
Temples, pottery, reservoirs, and a little scheduled rest. Back again on 27 July.⠀
⠀
Read this week’s newsletter: [link in bio]⠀
⠀
#SoutheastAsianArchaeology #Archaeology #Heritage #Prambanan #Thailand #Indonesia #Cambodia #Vietnam #CulturalHeritage #Substack")
New discoveries from the Bujang Valley, an hour away from Penang. While the news seems to stress on the 300 CE date of the Bujang Valley complex, this news isn’t actually new – what is significant about the find is the presence of apparently non-religious structures, particularly one used for metalworking. Until now, there has been little evidence for local metalworking in Malaysia for this period. This current investigation is part of a larger project to turn the bujang Valley into a heritage park. Oh, and there’s been a name change: the Centre for Archaeology Research, Malaysia is now the Global Centre for Archaeology Research.
Archaeologists find prehistoric building
Bernama, 04 March 2009
Civilisation dating back 300 A.D. found
The Sun, 04 March 2009
More sites of Bujang Kingdom
New Straits Times, 05 March 2009
After a month-long excavation, the archaeological team from the Universiti sains Malaysia Centre for Global Archaeological Research (PPAG) which was led by its director, Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin, established that the sites were a building and an iron smelting site.
The team also proved that the sites existed in the 3rd century AD.
A sample of coal dug from the iron smelting site was dated to that time by the United States-based laboratory, Beta Analytic Inc in Florida, using carbon dating technology.
“We believe we have uncovered the other components of the Lembah Bujang kingdom, after the discovery of Hindu and Buddhist worshipping sites in the 1890s,” Mokhtar said at the site yesterday.He said the first site could be a building, suggesting that it might have been a housing or an administration centre, while the iron smelting site established that industrial activity existed in early Lembah Bujang history.
Why the name change from Centre for Archaeology Research, Malaysia to the Global Centre for Archaeology Research???
Are they branching out to world archaeology?
http://www.usm.my/ver4/berita-penuh.asp?id=6497&idform=7
From what i know, they were saying that the centre now is so-called “global” because it contributes to global archaeology as a whole, especially with the supposed finding of the 1.8 million years old hand axe. it doesnt mean that the centre will now be conducting research worldwide.
that’s as far as i know;) and this doesnt necessarily mean that i agree with the whole name upgrade thing.
‘global’ seems to be the new buzzword for the university though, right up there with sustainable development.
This is maybe only indirectly connected. Anyway, some of you may have heard of a Bengali prince named Buddhagupta (also titled “Mahanavika”, meaning “Great Mariner”) who founded an ancient kingdom in northern Malaya which he named Raktamarittika (Red Earth) after his hometown. The Chinese then called it Chi Tu. This Chi Tu (Tanah Merah) is believed to have been located either in Kedah, Southern Thailand or Kelantan. Or maybe he founded 3 kingdoms in 3 places n named them all with the same name. Not impossible.
Anyway, I have recently come across info leading me to suspect that this Prince Buddhagupta could possibly have been King Buddhagupta-raja, who another scholar (Indian) believes is a title of Skandagupta, among the bravest n most successful kings of the Gupta dynasty in the Magadha-Bengal region around the mid 5th century AD.
Your comment?
Buddhagupta was a trader not a Prince and did not establish any state in Malay peninsular. It’s a wishful thinking but definitely does not base on any facts. Malay has a very long history and chain of Kings in all over the IndoChina, Sri Lanka even in south India. Buddhagupta was not known in any of Malay tradition. Malay has long establish ancient Malay ruling class and various Malay city states taht thrives on trading with the rest of the world. Not limited to India and China but went as far as Africa (Madagascar & Egypt) and also Russia & Japan. Read the discovery of ancient keris in Okinawa and also the discovery of submerged pyramid near Okinawa which has incsriptions bearing the ancient Malay scripts and ancient Malay language. The inscription actually to commemorate his thanksgiving having a safe journey to Malay city state in Malay Peninsular. A Sailendra Malay dynasty Maharaja actually instructed the workers in Nalanda University to inscript his name, very proudly as King, and his dynasty on a copper plate with Nalanda University official emblem as a memorial in a foreign land.
Buddha-Gupta Inscription
Period: 4th-5th Century CE
Found in: Seberang Perai, Malaysia
Material: Stone
Present Location: National Museum, Calcutta, India
This stone was set up in Seberang Prai, Malaysia around 400 CE by an Indian Merchant, Buddha Gupta, as an expression of gratitude for his safe arrival after a voyage from India. The Buddha-Gupta stone inscription in Sanskrit using Pallava script is important evidence of the existence of Indian trade relations with Southeast Asia during the 4th to 5th Centuries CE.
This inscription mentions a sea captain (mahanavika in Sanskrit) named Buddha-Gupta. The inscription prays for a safe voyage from the Red Earth Land (Raktamrttika). Chinese sources refer to this kingdom as Chi-tu, possibly located on the east coast of peninsular Thailand.
Nu Zai, you do not be so dismissive of something. A prince can still be a merchant. There is no law against that in most places. The time of Buddhagupta Inscription was about late 5th century.
It happens also that Prince Buddhagupta of Gupta dynasty was also on the verge of ascending the Gupta throne around the same time. It is not impossible that he came to Malay Peninsula when he was still a prince, to trade as well as make friends & build diplomatic alliances on behalf of Gupta dynasty.
He could have founded a kingdom in Malay Prninsula, then went back to his homeland to become new king of his Gupta kingdom. Nothing far fetched about that at all. This is nothing to do with wishful thinking or anything like that all. But just exploring the possibilities. You need to keep an open mind about things, if you’re really into history as a hobby. You must not close your mind to any possibility.