• 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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Vietnam Recovers Precious Nguyen Dynasty Seal

20 November 2023
in Vietnam
Tags: auctiongoldMinh Mang (person)Nguyen Dynasty (kingdom)repatriationseals
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Minh Mang's Seal. Source: Vietnam Express 20221031

Minh Mang's Seal. Source: Vietnam Express 20221031

via various sources, 18 November 2023: A golden seal from the Nguyen Dynasty, titled “Treasure of the Emperor,” was officially handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony in the Vietnamese Embassy in France. This follows over a year of negotiations to prevent its auction and ensure its repatriation. The seal, dating back to King Minh Mang’s reign in 1823, will be temporarily held by Hoang Gia Nam Hong Co. Ltd in Bac Ninh, with plans to transfer it to the government later. The seal, a significant symbol of Vietnam’s political history, will be preserved and displayed in collaboration with the Vietnam National Museum of History.

A Nguyen Dynasty’s golden seal of “Hoang de chi bao” (Treasure of the Emperor) was handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony held at the Vietnamese Embassy in France on Nov. 16.

The handover took place in the presence of Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van, and officials of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and UNESCO, said the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This came as a result of more than one year of negotiation and implementation of legal procedures on halting the open auction of the seal, cast in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang, in Paris in November 2022, and handing over the object to Vietnam at the country’s request.

Source: Golden imperial seal handed over to Vietnam from France – VnExpress International

See also:

  • Nguyen Dynasty’s imperial seal handed over to Vietnam | VOV/Vietnam Express 18 Nov 2023

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