TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Ancient structures could rewrite Indonesian history
Geologists have called on the government to follow up on a number of geoarchaelogical findings that could potentially alter the mainstream view of the history of human civilization in Indonesia
Change Size
Geologists have called on the government to follow up on a number of geoarchaelogical findings that could potentially alter the mainstream view of the history of human civilization in Indonesia.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post recently, Indonesian Geologists Association (IAGI) advisory board head Andang Bachtiar said there were at least half a dozen recent geoarchaelogical discoveries that, if properly explored and studied, might well rewrite Indonesian history.
Among them are the discoveries at the Mount Padang historical site in Cianjur, West Java, the site of the Hindu kingdom that rests beneath the site of the Samudera Pasai kingdom in northern Aceh and an ancient brick-making site in the Majapahit kingdom of Mojokerto, East Java.
The brick-making site in Mojokerto, discovered in 2013, for example, is estimated to be much older than Majapahit, one of the largest pre-independence kingdoms in the archipelago, according to Andang.
'Based on radiocarbon measurements, the bricks at the site are estimated to date back to the fifth century BC, indicating the existence of ancient remnants there,' said Andang, a member of an independent research team that found and mapped out the subsurface site by using electromagnetic imaging devices.
Majapahit was established in the late 13th century and fell apart around two centuries later.
Kutai Martadipura in East Kalimantan, established in the fourth century, meanwhile, is acknowledged as the country's oldest recorded kingdom.
Andang said the new findings indicated that another ancient kingdom had probably existed long before the two kingdoms.
'If the ancient kingdom really existed, the next thing we can discover about it are the technology and governance [systems]. This is definitely a huge amount of work for Indonesian researchers,' Andang said, adding that the discovery of the ancient brick-making facility had not been widely publicized until recently.
Separately, Mt. Padang Independent and Integrated Research Team (TTRM) leader Danny Hilman Natawidjaja said the recent discovery of a metal-coated stone artifact resembling a traditional kujang weapon on Mt. Padang seemed to prove that the Indonesian archipelago had been home to advanced civilizations stretching back for a longer period than originally thought.
'This proves that humans living in Indonesia during the period were already familiar with metal and its benefits,' said Danny, who is also an ancient catastrophe and geology expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
The Mt. Padang historical site, previously frequented by pilgrims seeking fame, fortune and power, is widely regarded as a hidden masterpiece of the archipelago's ancient civilization since its rediscovery in 2012.
Carbon-dating tests show that the structure at the site could date back as far as 14,000 BC ' or even earlier.
The megalith, believed to be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, is marked by large stones of various sizes. Some are neatly arranged, others are in heaps.
Andang and Danny said the new geoarchaelogical findings could potentially update the history of Indonesian civilizations and fill in gaps in historical knowledge that leave the archipelago shrouded in mystery.
'The government must open its mind. This is a scientific world. They could at least begin by opening up a public discussion about these findings,' Andang said.
1. Mt. Padang historical site in Cianjur, West Java
2. The site of the Hindu kingdom beneath the Samudera Pasai kingdom in northern Aceh
3. The Pasemah megalith complex in Lahat, South Sumatra
4. The Bada Valley megalithic site in Poso, Central Sulawesi
5. The temple complex atop Mt. Penanggungan in Pasuruan, East Java
6. The temple complex atop Mt. Sadahurip in Garut, West Java
7. Batujaya temple in Karawang, West Java
8. The ancient brick-making site beneath the Majapahit kingdom in Mojokerto, East Java
--------------------
To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News.
For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com
