Page 93 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

the Musi River Basin. They are also found elsewhere close to Kuching. Some pottery from the latter site was
in Sumatra and West Malaya, Chiang Mai, Thailand. impressed with circles, some of which were inlaid with lime.
While Solheim (op. cit.) stated that they were a relatively Other early decorations were straight incised lines, lines
recent form, they are known from archaeological sites in made by punctations or short incised dashes often form
Palembang where they could date from the 8th century borders or ‘V’ patterns in various modes (Solheim 2003).
(Adhyatman 1987). Neolithic pottery sites in Indonesia generally contained
poor quality pottery which has been dated from 2000
SOUTH EAST ASIAN NEOLITHIC POTTERY (3RD– BC to 1500 BC. It has been found at a relatively limited
MID-1ST MILLENNIUM BC) number of sites (Soegondho 2003). These include: Paso
Simanjuntak (2017) summarising current thinking, and Leang Tuwo Mane’es (North Sulawesi); Kalumpang
noted that the Indonesian Neolithic culture is generally and Minanga Sipakka (South Sulawesi); former lake site
traced to the Austronesian-speaking people, who entered in Bandung and at Serpong (West Java); Kendeng Lembu
Indonesia from Taiwan via Sulawesi about 4,000 years BP. (East Java); and Kelapa Dua (Jakarta).
Ancestors of these people probably originated in coastal Neolithic pottery is typically a globular-shaped vessel
Chinese sites south of the Yangzi River. They began their with a wide mouth, round bottom and fired at low
migration to Taiwan about 6,000–5,500 BP. And then temperatures in an open pit. It was hand built with coils
moved to northern Philippines about 4,500–4,000 BP, and finished with a paddle and anvil. While most were
bringing with them red-slipped pottery. Interestingly, plain some were cord-marked (see below) and others
red-slipped pottery, which is a prominent marker for were incised with curvilinear or geometric designs and
the ‘Taiwan route’ is commonly found only in eastern some had a red slip.
Indonesian Neolithic sites. (It is also found in western No pottery from the Musi could confidently be
Indonesia but only in more recent Palaeometallic and attributed to the Neolithic period, although a number
historical sites.) of hand built pots and bowls finished with paddle and
From Taiwan, Austronesians migrated through the anvil, some cord or basket weave marked, may have been
southern Philippines first to Sulawesi then Kalimantan, Neolithic.
Java, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, southern Vietnam.
They also travelled eastwards through the Moluccas and SOUTH EAST ASIAN EARLY TO MID-METAL AGE
the Lesser Sundas and then via Halmahera to populate POTTERY (MID-1ST MILLENNIUM BC TO 7TH
Melanesian and Polynesian islands. However, in addition CENTURY AD)
to the Austronesians, other people, who spoke an In Island South East Asia the Early-Metal Age began with
Austroasiatic language, may also have introduced the the introduction of copper-bronze and iron artefacts and
Neolithic culture to Indonesia, using a route through their associated technologies. Bellwood (1997) stated that
mainland South East Asia, Vietnam and the Malay it most likely began about 500 BC and ran until about 1000.
Peninsula, and entered Indonesian via Sumatra before Earthenware pottery was produced in abundance in
expanding into Kalimantan and Java. Sumanjuntak South East Asia during the earlier part of the Metal Age (500
(2017) considered that this westwards introduction of the BC to 700 AD) which also coincided with the introduction of
Neolithic in Indonesia may have occurred earlier than trade items into island South East Asia from the mainland.
that via Taiwan. And that the archaeological evidence for During this period some of the simple undecorated or
this western route included the distribution of paddle- paddle marked pottery of the early historic period in Burma,
impressed pottery, especially that which used textile Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and
wrapped paddles to produce cord-marked pottery. In Vietnam continued to be produced, while new shapes,
Indonesia, such Neolithic pottery is mostly restricted method of potting and decoration were added to those
to western Indonesia (Aceh, South Sumatra, Buni on of the prehistoric period. Pottery decoration in particular
the north coast of West Java, Kalimantan, Sarawak and was markedly different and was significantly influenced
Malaysia). Similar paddle impressed Neolithic pottery is by both the Sa-Huynh, Kalanay and Bau-Malay families of
found to the north in the Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, South decoration as described by Solheim (2002).
China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Rispoli (2007) describes Important changes in pottery technology were made
a ceramic decorative pattern on the walls of pottery throughout most of the Metal Age in South East Asia.
containers which was widespread in mainland South East For example, pottery wheel technology entered North
Asia during the Neolithic as ‘incised & impressed ‘. These Vietnam along with the Han Dynasty suzerainty of that
patterns involved a space inside two incised lines covered State (Brown 1989). But it appeared later in Thailand
with cord or ‘cardial’ impressions or with incised motifs (Rooney 1987) and in Cambodia it has been suggested
of small dots, small segments or zigzags. sometime around the end of the 6th century (Stark
Neolithic pottery appeared in island South East Asia 2000). In Indonesia, pottery was often made on a wheel
about 1000–1500 BC. Paddle impressed pottery of this only after about 400, when it was also sometimes polished
age, some with basket or cord marked patterns, appeared and even glazed. Indonesia also made a wider range
in Palawan, Philippines. Similarly decorated Neolithic of pottery types after that date and included braziers,
pottery, which may be older than that of Palawan, was palm oil lamps and non-vessel forms such as terracotta
also excavated from Niah Caves, Sarawak, and Gua Sirih statues, walls of wells, and architectural forms. Many of

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