Page 35 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

southeastern Taiwan, Philippines, Sarawak, central and as spices, aromatics, beads and woods, often incorrectly
southern Vietnam, central and southern Thailand, and attributed to India, which was an international entrepôt
eastern Cambodia. Other Taiwanese nephrite artefacts, for these products (Chew 2014). The magnitude of this
especially beads and bracelets, were distributed much early maritime trade was considerable and was frequently
earlier during Neolithic times (1800 BC) from Taiwan plied by large efficient sailing vessels. Some Greco-Roman
into the Philippines. In addition to the Fengtian earrings, merchants in the 1st century BC described huge non-
the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, Philippines, Borneo Indian ships coming from the east with rich cargoes,
and Eastern Indonesia were part of a South China Sea possibly from the Malay Archipelago. ‘This would
network which traded in a variety of other goods from 500 indicate that the Malay participated actively in Indian
BC to 200 AD. These included glass beads, carnelian and Ocean trade, and likely handled much of the traffic
gold ornaments, ‘Dong Son’ bronze drums; Han bronze between Southeast Asia and India (https://en.wikipedia.
mirrors and Sa-Huynh/Kalanay style ceramics (Favereau org/wiki/History_of_Kedah)’. For example, Indian ships
and Bellina 2016). sailing between South Asia, Ceylon and China, weighed
Stark (2006) provides an excellent overview of the up to 75 tons and could carry up to 200 persons (Wheatley
development of interactions between South East Asia 1964). It is of note that there was a land route from
and South Asia. Briefly, she considered that from the South Asia to the western edge of the Mekong Delta,
2nd century BC to the 4th century AD there was an but it is unlikely that most ceramics were transported
increase in the volume of trade and more ‘regularized along this route because of their bulk and fragility. The
commodity circulation’. From the 4th century to about voyages of commercial discovery by the Portuguese and
the 8th century there was more ideological contact from the Spanish in the 15th century seeking a reliable route
South Asia which parallels the rise of the Indian Gupta to the East for its spices are a continuation of this global
civilization. Manguin (2002) considers that Indian culture trade (Chew 2014).
may have significantly influenced local religions and Among the huge deposits of ceramics found at a
state formation processes a little earlier, namely the 3rd number of sites beneath the Musi River bed are a wide
century, at the earliest. After the 8th century there was a variety of trade wares from North Vietnam, Thailand,
both ideological and economic change coincident with China as well as a few from the Middle East. While most
political transformations throughout the region associated of the glazed wares are readily identifiable, this is not
with the onset of Thailand’s Dvaravati culture. During the case with the terracotta, which includes pottery
the Dvaravati period the focus of trading was to island from China, central and southern Thailand, the broader
Southeast Asia, and particularly toward Buddhist Sriwijaya Mekong Delta region, Central Vietnam and Philippines.
in southern Sumatra (Manguin 2004). Some of these terracotta forms are South East Asian folk
Stark (2006) writes that generally South East Asia ware but others are much older and probably pre-date
polities of the 1st millennium BC, although influenced establishment of the Sriwijaya Kingdom. There are a
by events in India and China, established the template number of potential polities outside southern Sumatra that
for subsequent ‘classical civilizations’ (Bagan/Pagan, may have exported ceramics to the Musi River settlements
Sukothai, Angkor, Nam Viet) that emerged in the 9th before and during Sriwijaya. The most notable of these
through to the 14th century. And share close historical are briefly discussed below.
links with the region’s contemporary nation-states.
Bronson and Dales (1973) would support this view based SIGNIFICANT CIVILIZATIONS AND EARLY POLITIES
on excavations at Chasen, in Central Thailand, when they IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
proposed that most early Indianized town sites in South Chew (2014) and Mason (2014) described the size and
East Asia were probably built on Metal Age foundations scale of the polities in South-East Asia (archipelago,
in already long-established towns. Further evidence for peninsula and mainland sites) in the 1st millennium.
this view is provided at a number of other sites excavated Some of these polities had urban centres with around
more recently. 100,000 people, located on 300–800 hectares of land
During the early years, trade in South East Asia surrounded by moats and ramparts. These polities were
was focused on the west and east coast of the Malayan complex, mature, urban societies and vibrant centres
Peninsula and central and central western Thailand. of production and commerce. They were comparable
Until very recently, it was thought that much of this trade in scale to contemporary cities in Egypt and Southern
was driven by the need of southern Asians for commercial Mesopotamia.
tin, which found throughout much of South East Asia The South East Asian polities played a critical role
(Bronson 1992). This tin was used by them to produce in this long distance maritime trade between China and
their high-tin bronzes. The Bay of Bengal was pivotal India from the 1st to 8th–10th centuries, depending on
in this trade such that by the 2nd century BC a number the polity. However, Manguin (2004) defines their role
of entrepôt were recorded along the eastern coast of during the 4th century as particularly important. Despite
India (Ray 1997 in Stark 2006). In addition to trade in this, China clearly played a dominant role in these trade
tin and gold it is now clear that the Kedah Kingdom on relationships and received tribute from these polities
the west coast of Malaysia, also provided much of the as far back as the 2nd century. For example, during the
world’s supply of high quality iron (Saidin 2016), as well Tang Dynasty alone Wang (1957, 1989) counted 64 tribute

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