Page 14 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

FOREWORD

This book fills two important gaps in our archaeological probable that such a pattern of life has typified much of
understanding of Southeast Asia: the archaeology of life in riverine Southeast Asia for millennia. This poses a
riverbeds, and the diversity of ceramics found in a major major obstacle to gaining an understanding of Southeast
trading port of ancient Southeast Asia. It is no surprise that Asian history from archaeological sources.
riverbeds in a large port would be troves of information In 2011 Palembang played host to the Southeast Asian
about the past. These sites are almost never investigated Games, a large regional athletic competition. Construction
by archaeologists, for good reasons: they are difficult and of venues for the events created a major demand for sand
dangerous places to work due to poor visibility and strong to mix with cement. Deposits of suitable material were
currents, and research in such sites is very expensive due found in certain spots in the bed of the Musi River. Boats
to the specialized equipment needed. From the standpoint using large suction pumps scoured the Musi riverbed,
of archaeological technique, riverbeds are not ideal places dumping sand onto barges for transport to building
to study because the sediments are continually shifting sites. Many ancient objects were found mixed with the
due to currents and human behaviour. These sites do not river sediment. It was quickly realized by the workers
yield nice, neat stratigraphy, so that we can only draw very that these could be a source of extra income. They soon
general conclusions about the chronology of the deposits discovered that certain areas were particularly rich in
found in them. artifects, so clandestine dives using air hoses were made
The modern city of Palembang is inhabited by almost 2 at night. These activities continued for several years and
million people, with several million more in its vicinity. It is spread to another major river basin north of the Musi,
located at the confluence of two large tributaries, the Ogan the Batanghari, where another ancient kingdom, Malayu,
and Komering, which join to form the Musi. Palembang is coexisted with Srivijaya.
strategically situated for exploiting an extensive riverine One cannot draw firm conclusions about the
network. In ancient times important products such as archaeological significance of the items in collections such
gold, ivory, and incense were found in the hinterland, as this. The provenance of items found in them cannot be
and the broad but gentle Musi was conveniently located taken for granted. These artefacts have lost their context,
for communicating with markets all around the Indian which for the archaeologist is what gives them their value
Ocean and South China Sea. as data. It would, however, be illogical to discard them as
The port has been in use for at least 1,300 years. By completely meaningless. In cases where large collections
the seventh century, Palembang became the capital of a have been assembled, it is at least possible to correlate the
kingdom known as Srivijaya. Srivijaya was first mentioned objects with each other as a kind of context. Individual
in a Chinese report of 682, by which time it was already a artefacts cannot be used to draw conclusions, but the
major connecting point for ships sailing between China overall assemblage can give us a general picture of what
and India. Chinese passengers used ships belonging to may have lain on the bottom of the Musi until 2011. One
the ruler of Srivijaya to sail from China to Palembang, must consider the probability that objects from other
and from there via the Malay Peninsula to India. areas would have been misrepresented as having been
Archaeological research on dry land in Palembang has found in Palembang as low.
identified several important sites including ancient brick The Heny Kustiarsih Collection depicted in this report
temples, but many more have probably been destroyed is one of the most interesting sets of data on the history
by modern urbanization. Foreign reports from China, of the Musi River. Other collections exist, but have not
India, and the Muslim realms of southwest Asia, describe been published. By making the contents of their collection
Palembang as a wealthy international port, but provide available, Darrell Kitchener and Heny Kustiarsih have
no details about it. Few written documents from ancient done a service for specialists and the general public. The
Palembang have survived. The Sabukingking inscription wide range of the items in the collection is consistent
depicts a well-organized and wealthy kingdom. The Talang with what one would expect to find in Srivijaya’s port,
Tuwo inscription records the king’s meritorious deed in given the archaeological and historical sources, but it
creating a garden where all his subjects were welcome. adds much new detail to what is known from scholarly
The famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace visited research including land-based archaeology. The finds of
Palembang in the mid-19th century. He described the Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics are not surprising.
city as five miles long and one house wide, which was his Some items such as amphorae provide hints of early
way of saying that everybody lived in stilt houses built over connections with the West.
the Musi River, or on boats or rafts. Thus much of the The most important contribution to knowledge in this
everyday detritus of life would have gone into the water. book stems from the wide range of earthenware included
One can still see examples of this lifestyle in Palembang in the collection. Very little of this type of material has
as well as such places as Pancur, a town on the island of been discovered on land or in shipwrecks. Local pottery
Lingga, southeast of Palembang, where an entire town is from ancient southeast Sumatra is seldom studied, and very
built on stilts in a shallow lagoon. Markets, shops, even few intact examples are known. This part of the collection
craftsmen’s workshops are all built over the water. A will provide much new information for archaeologists.
similar situation can be seen along the banks of the Tonle We can derive much new information about daily life,
Sap, the Great Lake near Angkor in Cambodia. It is quite

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