A feminist revolution in an ancient kingdom
via BBC, 1 June 2018: Of anthropological interest.
The tiny Islamic kingdom of Yogyakarta is locked in a bitter battle over whether the sultan’s daughter can inherit the throne.
GO: The Lure of Mystical Borobudur
via New Straits Times, 05 April 2018:
Lured by sacred temples and the Nirvana Sunrise, Hanna Hussein heads to Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Residents Find Ancient Site of Majapahit Kingdom
via Netral News, 08 February 2018:
Residents began arriving to take a closer look at the discovery site of the brick structure that is suspected as an AlasTrik Site in Kedung Bocok Village, Sidoarjo, East Java.
Source: Netralnews.com – Residents Find Ancient Site of Majapahit Kingdom
Postdoctoral researcher – Archaeology of Trinil Job at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
The focus of Naturalis is biodiversity. Naturalis, situated in Leiden the Netherlands, curates a collection of 42 million specimens; this is one of the world’s largest natural history collections. We present the history of our planet and the diversity of life on Earth with permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational programmes and websites. Our research and education are maintained at a high academic level and organized in six research groups with their own expertise and focus.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center has a position for a
Postdoctoral researcher Archaeology of Trinil
The Postdoc position is available within the Vidi project of dr. Josephine Joordens, entitled “Studying Homo erectus Lifestyle and Location (SHeLL): an integrated geo-archaeological research of the hominin site Trinil on Java”. He/she will focus on setting up and conducting archaeological excavations at Trinil (Indonesia) in September 2018 and 2019, in collaboration with Indonesian archaeologists from ARKENAS, Jakarta. In addition, the successful candidate will be responsible for studying traces of hominin modification on fossil shells and bones from the excavations and from museum collections, and supervising master students involved in the Trinil project.
At Naturalis in Leiden, the Postdoc will work in a dedicated “Trinil Team” with the PI, a PhD student focusing on geology and dating of Trinil and another PhD student focusing on the regional geology of East Java.
General requirements and skills:
The successful candidate should have a PhD in Archaeology with:
experience in designing and managing archaeological excavations
relevant skills, e.g. Total Station, differential GPS, photogrammetry, drones etc
basic laboratory skills
affinity with geology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction and human evolution
excellent command of the English language, willingness to learn Bahasa Indonesia
excellent scientific writing skills
available to start at the latest on June 1st 2018.
What we offer
A dynamic research environment with involved research staff for supervision, a lively PhD and postdoc community, and a national and international academic network. Naturalis has well-equipped modern laboratories with highly qualified technical staff. The candidate will also be affiliated with the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University.
The successful candidate will be employed by Naturalis in Leiden with a full time position (36 hours a week) for the duration of one year, to be extended with one year after successful first year evaluation. Salary indication € 40.000,- gross per year, depending on experience. As an employee of Naturalis the Collective Employment Agreement of Dutch Museums will be applicable to you. All our employees are incorporated into a pension fund. Naturalis Biodiversity Center promotes gender equality and wants to enhance the diversity of staff members.
The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Josephine Joordens. Feel free to contact her with questions about this position at josephine.joordens [at] naturalis.nl.
Procedure
Applicants are invited to submit their application, including a cover letter, CV (should include: (1) complete publication list number of citations, and your H-Index; (2) grants obtained; (3) teaching experience; (4) invited talks; (5) other relevant information) and the names and e-mail addresses of at least two persons that can be contacted for reference before March 1st 2018 using the ‘Go to application page’ button
Postdoctoral researcher – Archaeology of Trinil Job at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
[Lecture] Classical Javanese Figurative Sculpture: Examining ornament and style
For readers in Singapore, an upcoming lecture in ISEAS
Classical Javanese Figurative Sculpture: Examining ornament and style
Date: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Time: 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm
Venue: ISEAS Seminar Room 2
About the Lecture
This lecture examines a corpus of free standing Hindu Buddhist figurative sculpture produced in Java in the 9th to 14th century period whose elaborate dress displays textiles with detailed patterns. This surviving body of sculpture, carved in stone in bas relief and cast in metal, varying in both size and condition, now stands in archaeological sites across Java, museums in Indonesia, and beyond. Situated a few degrees south of the equator, the humid climate of Java has ensured that textiles from this period have not survived in situ.
In considering supporting evidence from other regions of Asia, this lecture explores the origins of the medieval textiles depicted on these sculptures, and identifies the types of textiles being represented. It also provides some analysis of specific motifs, such as those on Saiva Buddha sculptures representing tantric iconography.
Additionally this lecture re-examines, through this corpus of sacred sculpture, the impact of the ‘Pāla Style’ from northeast India on the sculpture of Classical Java.
About the Speaker
Dr Lesley S Pullen, is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in art history at SOAS University of London. She was born in Medan, Sumatra and lived in Asia for thirty years. Dr Pullen arrived in London in 1997 and completed at SOAS a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, a Taught Masters and in 2017 a PhD. She is currently converting her doctoral thesis “Representation of Textiles on Classical Javanese Sculpture” into a monograph. Her work includes research into the textiles and ornament of India, Central Asia and China, and how these are reflected in Southeast Asian material art. She tutors and lectures on Southeast Asia art history courses at SOAS and the V&A Museum.
UI archaeology professor weighs in on Borobudur’s ‘chattra’ restoration
via Jakarta Post, 20 January 2018: Some disagreement over a plan to reinstall the chattra or symbolic umbrella on top of Borobudur.
The University of Indonesia’s (UI) archaeology professor, Agus Aris Munandar, said there needed to be a thorough study prior to restoring the chattra (an umbrella-shaped form symbol usually placed atop religious symbols in Buddhism and Hinduism) on the top of the main Yasthi stupa at Borobudur temple.
Source: UI archaeology professor weighs in on Borobudur’s ‘chattra’ restoration
The Punjulharjo ancient boat site
The Patriots, 03 June 2017: An article about the Punjulharjo ancient boat site, which was discovered in central Java in 2008. The author expresses hope that a similar boat which is thought to be in Malaysia’s Sungei Batu can be found. Article is in Bahasa Indonesia.
Source: Situs Perahu Kuno Punjulharjo, Gambaran Awal Kapal Kuno Sungai Batu | The Patriots
Locals supportive of Borobudur management change
A government plan to overhaul the management of Borobudur to revitalise the area is met with local support.
Borobudur set for management overhaul
Jakarta Post, 1 Feb 2016
Borobudur Working Group head Priyono concurred, attributing the surge in the number of vendors in the area to the lack of assessment regarding the social and environmental impacts of the Borobudur tourist industry on the more than 75,000 people who live in 20 villages in the environs of the temple.
“We are hoping that the government’s new body will be able to better manage the temple in terms of both preservation and local empowerment,” Priyono said.
Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, is also home to hundreds of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, most of them built between the fifth and 14th centuries, at the time of the arrival of the two religions in the country.
Borobudur, located some 40 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta, is one of the world’s most famous temples, renowned for its gigantic size and sophisticated architecture. Built in the ninth century, the Mahayana Buddhist temple is 1.5 hectares in size and has a volume of 60,000 cubic meters.
Full story here.
Google StreetView in Borobudur!
We have it with Angkor Wat, and now, Borobudur! Google Street View comes to Java’s amazing stupa and it’s a great way to visit (or re-visit) the reliefs on the temple.
Recording street view for Google. Source: Jakarta Post 20150929
A comprehensive trip to Borobudur from your couch
Jakarta Post, 29 September 2015
Giant search engine Google now makes it possible for globe travelers to experience the world’s wonders even before booking a tour package.
Launched on Sept. 27 across Google platforms — Google Maps, Street View and the Cultural Institute — users can access panoramic, 360-degree imagery of Borobudur Temple, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from their mobile devices.
In partnership with the Culture and Education Ministry, Tourism Ministry and the agency managing the maintenance of the temple and other heritage sites in the vicinity — PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan dan Ratu Boko — Google released a number of virtual tours of the site, located in the Central Java town of Magelang, a one hour drive from Yogyakarta.
Google Indonesia’s head of public policy and government relations Shinto Nugroho explained that Borobudur Temple was chosen to mark the digitalization of Indonesia’s heritage sites because it met a number of criteria.
“Borobudur Temple is a heritage site with amazing architecture and it’s also a main tourist destination,” she said at a launch event held at the temple compound, in conjunction with Google’s 17th anniversary.
Full story here.
Check out Street View here.
Sinking Candi Sukuh closed for restoration
Candi Sukuh in Java is being closed while repairs are done to it to prevent the ancient temple from deteriorating further. The masonry of the temple has been falling apart in recent years, due to among other things, the effect of earthquakes.
Candi Sukuh, Java, Indonesia
Centuries-old Sukuh temple undergoing restoration work
Jakarta Post, 29 June 2015
The Central Java Cultural Heritage Preservation Center (BPCB) has begun restoring Sukuh temple in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, aiming to prevent existing structural damage in the centuries-old temple from worsening.
The pyramid-shaped temple, which was discovered in 1815, has sunk 20 centimeters on the northeastern side over the past few decades. Furthermore, stones are coming apart in extended areas of the southwestern side and on the stairs leading to the temple’s main building.
BPCB restoration working group chief Sudarno said the extensive damage had put the whole structure of the temple in danger.
“The current damage is the accumulation of damage [from previous years] and it’s dangerous. That’s why we’ve had to prioritize the restoration of the temple this year,” Sudarno said.
Full story here.