Archive of news reports related to the archaeology and heritage of Singapore, a city-state located on the southern tip of the Malayan peninsula. The former British colony was founded on the basis of its historical significance amongst the Malay kingdoms in the region, a significance that has since been proven through archaeology. Most of pre-colonial archaeology is centred around the civic district of Singapore such as Fort Canning and Empress Place. Historical archaeology is another area of frequent research.
In this page:
- Recommended Books
- Most Popular Posts about Singapore Archaeology
- Image Gallery
- Singapore Archaeology in the News
- Links to Singapore Archaeology Websites
This page covers the archaeology of Singapore as a whole, and you can find more details about the other countries in their respective pages or explore the Resource Guide for thematic areas. There’s also the Virtual Archaeology page where you can visit Southeast Asian archaeological sites online, learn something from the Online Lecture Library, or find recent academic papers for more up-to-date research.
Recommended Books
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There are a numerous books relevant to the archaeology and history of Singapore, and the list below is my personal recommendation based on what I have in my library or have read, and are easily available. There are some local-language publications that are not available in the internet, and newer books are higher up on the list. Some of these links are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. For other sources of reliable academic information, you should also check out the books page for latest releases and the occassional free book, as well as the journals page for the latest scientific research.
- *new* Fieldwork in Humanities Education in Singapore by Teddy Y. H. Sim and Hwee Hwang Sim (Eds.)
- *new* A History of Modern Singapore, 1819-2005 by Constance Turnbull
- *new* Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore by Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng, Peter Borschberg and Tan Tai Yong
- Singapore: A Biography by Mark Ravinder Frost and Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
- Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800 by John N. Miksic
- Early Singapore 1300s – 1819: Evidence in Maps, Text and Artefacts by John N. Miksic and Cheryl-Ann Low Mei Gek
- Archaeological Research on the Forbidden Hill of Singapore: Excavations at Fort Canning, 1984 by John N. Miksic
Most Popular Posts about Singapore Archaeology
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The Fort Furore
FTK: under-used funds and over-hyped reburial The Fort Tanjong Katong article by Jeremy Au Yong in 9 April's Sunday Times...
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Image Gallery
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For more images, check out and follow Southeast Asian Archaeology on Instagram.
Singapore Archaeology in the News
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The news reports indexed below usually link to external sites that were active at the time of posting; sometimes websites may be temporarily down or may have reorganised their underlying architecture or have even closed down – in these cases the links may not be available. Most of the news articles archived are in English; although when I am made aware of stories in this and other languages I try to index them.
Looking for something specific? You can also use this search box:
Links to Singapore Archaeology Websites
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These are links to external sites and unless stated, I have no connection with the organisations or entities in these links or control over their content. They are sorted alphabetically, but you should also explore the Resources page which have links sorted by themes. If you have a link to suggest, please get in touch!
- 700years.sg – An interactive website that brings seven centuries of Singapore history to life through the imagined social feeds of 25 historical characters across different time periods.
- Empress Place Excavation 2015 – An interactive image map on Thinglink by Amantha Chong.
- History.sg – An online resource guide by the National Library of Singapore.
- Maritime Explorations – Maritime Explorations is a Singapore-based salvage and project coordination company specialising in historical shipwrecks.
- National Heritage Board – The National Heritage Board undertakes the roles of safeguarding and promoting the heritage of our diverse communities, for the purpose of education, nation-building and cultural understanding.
- National Museum of Singapore – Official page.
- NUS Museum – Featuring an Archaeology Library of finds from digs across Singapore.
- SEA-ARK – This resource page disseminates published and unpublished reports pertinent to the pursuit of Southeast Asian Archaeology. Hosted in the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre (now Temasek History Research Centre) in the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.
- Singapore Heritage Society – SHS is an independent voice for heritage conservation in Singapore.
- Southeast Asian Archaeology – Focuses mainly on Singapore, with links to ongoing projects in Indonesia.
- Spatial Discovery – A collection of over 3,000 maps from the last 200 years organised by the National Library of Singapore.
- Temasek History Research Centre – The Temasek History Research Centre (THRC) was established at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in 2019. THRC will focus on Singapore’s premodern history, its economic and socio-cultural links to the region, as well as its historical role as a trading centre.
