Page 31 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

Figure 6. Musi River sites at Palembang where ceramics and/or ancient artefacts have been recovered (Rianta 2014).

The current site occupied by the Mahmud Badaruddin 1992). It is dated to the 7th century. This site is near Bukit
Museum was densely populated during Sriwijaya. Seguntang and Karanganyar. The beads were from both
Excavations there resulted in 55,000 artefacts of which glass and stone and were found in association with Tang
10,000 were imported ceramic shards and 38,000 local ceramic shards and local wares. Around 2454 beads have
pottery shards. The lower levels excavated contained been found in this general area in various colours (Satari
Chinese ceramics from 8th–9th to 19th century, with 1985).
one-third deposited in Sriwijaya times (Manguin 1993). The large Karanganyar site was an important densely
Candi Angsoka was a Buddhist sanctuary with associated populated urban centre. Its hydraulic works included
12th to 13th century ceramics (Bottenberg 2010). The remnants of man-made ancient canals, moats, ponds, and
only statue in the Palembang area possibly datable to the artificial islands. These were built by a Palembang Sultan
12th–13th century was the Ganesa image seated in the in the late-18th to early-19th century. Artefacts found there
Indian style from Jalan Mayor Ruslan, a short distance to include fragments of inscription, Buddhist statues, beads
the north of Candi Angsoka (Edwards McKinnon 1985). and Chinese ceramics. Pulau Cempaka, Karanganyar, is
a 7th century island connected to Kedukan Bukit and
West Palembang sites Kambangunglen. A brick structure was found on the
Manguin (1993) considers that during the initial years of large island and Tang and Song Dynasty ceramics have
the foundation of Sriwijaya state in late-7th century some also been found on these islands (Satari 1985). A boat
centres of activity developed quickly in West Palembang. dated to 610–775 was found close to the base of this site
These continued there even after the Sriwijaya capital at Sambirejo. Information on the Kampung Bukit Lama
moved (probably to Jambi) in the 11th century. The key (Perquin 1928) and Lebak Keranji (Bronson & Wisseman
trading and manufacturing site of Talang Kikim Sebarang 1974, 1976) were not found.
was identified by the vast quantity of late-8th and 9th century A 7th century inscription was found at Kedukan
Tang Dynasty wares, some with iron slag and glass beads. Bukit, as was an 8th to 9th century stone fragment of the
Kambangunglen (and perhaps nearby Lebak Keranji) was head of a Bodhisattwa (Westenenk 1923, Wellan 1937).
a factory for stone and glass beads with some 800 finished Another two Buddhist inscriptions dated to the 7th century
glass beads and a brick foundation thought to be a bead (one to 684) were found at Talang Tuo, near Sukarami
making furnace (Adhyatman and Arifin 1993, Manguin (Westenenk 1923).

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