Happy New Year everyone! You may have noticed a flurry of news stories last week, as I was catching up from my end-of-year break. Now that 2021 is truly done, let’s take a look at the last year in Southeast Asian Archaeology through a roundup of its most significant discoveries and its most popular news stories.
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Significant archaeological discoveries in 2021
While Covid-19 rages on and many fieldwork plans have been disrupted, there still has been a number of discoveries announced, either as research papers or chance finds. Here is a list of the top nine most significant new discoveries announced this past year. Shipwrecks and rock art were quite popular in particular!
More than 500 cave paintings found in Perak
via The Star, 26 November 2021: A local caving group in Malaysia have identified over 40 new rock art sites…
Centuries-old shipwrecks discovered in S’pore waters; artefacts to be displayed in museums
via Straits Times, 16 June 2021: Two shipwrecks found in Singapore waters found by archaeologists in Singapore – one from…
[Paper] First Directly Dated Rock Art in Southeast Asia and the Archaeological Implications
via Radiocarbon, 30 April 2021: This is the first time we have radiocarbon dates from rock art in Southeast Asia,…
[Paper] Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi
via Science Advances, 13 January 2021: If the headline sounds familiar, it’s because the ‘oldest’ rock art keeps getting found…
[Paper] Dating the megalithic culture of laos: Radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence and U/Pb zircon results
via PLoS One, 10 March 2021: A exciting new paper by Shewan et al. dates the Plain of Jars to…
Shipwreck excavated in Melaka
via Free Malaysia Today, 1 April 2021: Parts of Malaaca Sultanate-era ship, coins and ceramics have been uncovered during an…
Discoveries from Sanxingdui point to possible connections to Southeast Asia
via Global Times, 20 March 2021 and other sources: The remarkable finds from the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan Province, China,…
Mongol fleet on the way to Java: First archaeological remains from the Karimata Strait in Indonesia
via Archaeological Research in Asia, A new paper discussing an inscription containing a reference to the Mongol invasion of Java…
![[Video] In Laos, technology for heritage protection](https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-04-210452.jpg)
[Video] In Laos, technology for heritage protection
via Agence Française de Développement, 27 Sep 2021: A video story on the EFEO project to survey Vat Phou using…
Most viewed news stories (according to you)
New discoveries are only just one part of the news. In terms of sheer popularity, the following is a list of the 10 most viewed news stories from 2021. This list is filtered somewhat; in truth, the most visited pages in this site are the resource pages and a handful of specific news stories from previous years that are linked to large sites like Wikipedia. The following list only focuses on the most popular posts that were published last year.
Altered photos of Tuol Sleng prisoners raise ire in Cambodia
Altered photos of prisoners from the infamous Tuol Sleng prison causes controversy and raises questions about the ethical use of…
Discoveries from Sanxingdui point to possible connections to Southeast Asia
via Global Times, 20 March 2021 and other sources: The remarkable finds from the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan Province, China,…
Farewell to underwater archaeologist Sheldon Clyde Jago-on (1971-2021)
I am sad to report the passing of Philippine underwater archaeologist and curator at the National Museum of the Philippines,…
Indonesia reverses course, to allow treasure hunting by private investors and foreigners again
via CNN Indonesia, 03 March 2021: Real bummer of news – the Indonesian government is reopening concessions to allow foreigners…
Over 100 antiquities from Latchford’s collection to return home, courtesy of his daughter
via New York Times, 29 January 2021: In a new turn of events to the Douglas Latchford story, the daughter…
Lemongrass oil to protect Borobudur
via NHK, 05 July 2021: The Borobodur Conservation Office have developed a new method of conservation using lemongrass oil to…
Book backing claims Butuan as site of first mass launched
via Philippine News Agency, 08 April 2021: Interest in where the first mass (a Christian ritual) was celebrated has escalated…
Remains of 16th century ship discovered in Jambi
via VOI.ID, 29 April 2021: Indonesian article about a large 24m-long ship found in Jambi province. Not much information about…
[Video] In Laos, technology for heritage protection
via Agence Française de Développement, 27 Sep 2021: A video story on the EFEO project to survey Vat Phou using…
Southeast Asia’s Ruins: The Case for Minimal Restoration
Excessive restorations in SE Asia harm historical sites, say experts. Advocating minimal intervention can better preserve authenticity and enhance public…
Instagram Top Five
Last year’s top five posts on Instagram @southeastasianarchaeology
On a personal note…
A bit of self-promotion here, as over the last year I’ve managed to publish more than a few works related to rock art and Southeast Asian archaeology in general:
- SPAFACON2021: Papers from the SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology and Fine Arts, 13-17 December 2021
An Open Access edited volume put together for the recent SPAFACON as part of my work at SEAMEO SPAFA. - Ancient Southeast Asia: A Coloring Book
A colouring book for both young and old, it is a set of colouring pages based on the Southeast Asian Archaeology Instagram feed that was initially created in 2020 during the first Covid-19 lockdowns. Amazon affiliate link. - Coastal Heritage: Exploring Caves and Indigenous Knowledge in the Lanta Bay (Southern Thailand)
Published in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Archaeology and co-authored with Berenice Bellina, Sorathach Rotchanarat and Olivier E. Évrard on a reconnaissance of Lanta Bay in Southern Thailand reporting the discovery of new rock art.
- Recent Developments in Rock Art Research in Southeast Asia (2015-2019)
Co-authored with Victoria Scott, a review of recent rock art research in Southeast Asia, published in the sixth edition of Rock Art Studies (News of the World). Amazon affiliate link.
Thank You for Your Support!
And finally, I’d like to thank all of you for reading thus far, whether you’ve a first-time visitor or a longtime follower. My aim with this site is to be a comprehensive and reliable Internet resource for the archaeology of Southeast Asia, and being able to reach thousands of readers every month is a good reason to keep this site going.
I would especially like to the thank the supporters of this site who bought me a coffee last year, in particular: Bérénice Bellina, Bill, Alison Carter, Ya-Liang Chiang, Wesley Clarke, Bernard Cohen, Erika Daum-Karanitsch, Jim Dodge, Jim Fitton, Charles Higham, Hsiao-chun Hung, Lalaine Little, Louise Macul, John Miksic, Martin Polkinghorne, Spencer Wells and seven others who have asked to remain anonymous. Your contributions really help with the maintenance of the site.
