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- Convenor:
-
Laura Junker
(University of Illinois at Chicago)
- Location:
- Salle du conseil 4th floor MAE
- Start time:
- 9 July, 2015 at
Time zone: Europe/Paris
- Session slots:
- 1
Short Abstract:
This panel brings together multi-scalar research on social organization and interaction in the later Metal Age and Early Historic Period of island Southeast Asia to examine the possible generative role of Metal Age societies on the formation of Early Historic maritime trading polities.
Long Abstract:
Among the significant enigmas is the nature of social formations underlying expanding exchange relations in later "Metal Age" societies of the Southeast Asian island archipelagos ca. 500 B.C. to A.D. 500-800, and the generative role these societies may have played in emerging Early Historic maritime trading polities. Metal Age archaeological research until very recently has been largely focused on more visible burial remains rather than the settlement traces of "lived" social practices, single sites rather than regional archaeological landscapes almost certainly associated with "communities" and social networks, and precise origins of "exotic" preciosities flowing into the archipelagos rather than local contextual evidence of their social meaning that might explain the scale and intensity of these long-distance exchanges. However, archaeologists working in the region are increasingly engaging in discussion of how these Metal Age societies may have been structured (i.e. hierarchical, "heterarchical", etc.), how social relations might have been constituted and manipulated through material exchanges at multiple geographic scales, and local processes leading up to complex political and social landscapes of later historically known chiefdoms and states. This session brings together research on social organization in the later Metal Age and Early Historic Period by more nuanced studies of social meaning at burial/ritual sites and in the intimate setting of comparative household archaeology, but particularly archaeological work at the expanded regional scale of "communities" (individually and in inter-regional interaction), using methods of archaeological settlement pattern/social landscape studies, social network analysis, exchange goods/production proveniencing, and GIS-based spatial models of interaction and exchange.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Laura Junker (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Paper short abstract:
This paper provides an overview of what is currently known about Philippine Metal Age socio-political organization, significance of foreign trade contacts, the relationship to later maritime trading polities, and differences from Metal Age archaeological patterns elsewhere in island Southeast Asia.
Paper long abstract:
In many ways, the 'Metal Age' in the Philippines, has been an enigma in terms of the types of social and political formations that may have existed in the period, the social meaning of exotic preciosities that circulate in the archipelago, and the connections of Metal Age societies to politically centralized maritime trading polities of the Early Historic Period. The most salient archaeological remains are clustered jar burials in caves or on terraces at higher elevations with artistically crafted earthenware, metal goods, foreign beads and other ornamental objects. These appear to represent a form of collective social identity, rather than the seeds of individualized or kin group aggrandizement foreshadowing the social stratification of later historic chiefdoms. Archaeological settlement data for the Metal Age is poorly developed, with limited evidence for incipient "centers" in coastal areas, but requires more emphasis on regional settlement studies. In addition to exploring these issues of Metal Age socio-political organization, the significance of foreign contacts, and relationship to later maritime trading polities, I also examine the ways in which these Metal Age societies appear to diverge from those elsewhere in island Southeast Asia with early monumental landscapes, diversified foreign trade, and early state development.
Nida Cuevas (National Museum of the Philippines) Eusebio Dizon (National Museum of the Philippines)
Paper short abstract:
The excavation in Barangay Magsuhot, Bacong, Negros Oriental in the Philippines distinctly shows materials suggestive of ritual and burial rites. Understanding relationships of burial jars and site implied a strong social organization and social ideology.
Paper long abstract:
This summarizes the report on the re-excavation of a jar burial site in Barangay Magsuhot in the Municipality of Bacong, Negros Oriental in Central Philippines. Barangay Magsuhot has been previously excavated by the Silliman University in 1972 (Chiong 1972) and the University of San Carlos, Cebu City in 1975 (Tenazas 1975) that discovered unique material evidences of mortuary and ritual practices in the area. The present excavation in Magsuhot had continuously brought considerable amount of diverse typology of earthenware vessels and burial jars recovered from a clear archaeological context dated to the period of ca. 500 B.C. - AD 800. The classification or the typology of the Magsuhot pottery assemblage was used to formulate inferences on social organization and status differentiation in treating the dead. This report revealed that the dichotomy of pottery form, design and representational motif is distinct only to the Magsuhot pottery assemblage that had been intended for mortuary rites or as grave furniture. The stylistic presentation or production of these potteries has shown correlation on the daily activities of the ancient inhabitants in the area. Information on the relationship between the pottery variability and social organization could be attained through intensive analysis of these material evidences. However, information on gender related issues of this Metal Age society does not appear to be strong and need further investigation.
Rory Dennison (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Paper short abstract:
Trade between China and Southeast Asia is examined considering issues of production and distribution by comparing chemical signatures obtained through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy of porcelain from the Philippines and from sites in southern China across various scales.
Paper long abstract:
Maritime trade between Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasty China and Southeast Asian polities is recognized as a defining force of the current global world, but the mechanisms of this exchange network have only recently become a topic for research. In order to understand the context of this trade it is important to examine the issue from the perspectives of both production and distribution. Within the Philippines, it has been seen that tradeware were a mark of status as chiefly powers used them to legitimize their status and were utilized as political currency in the contexts of competitive feasting, strategic marriages, and military alliances. It is equally important to consider the variations in production strategies and sources within Fujian kiln sites. This research examines issues of production and distribution by comparing chemical signatures of porcelain collected in the Philippines and clay and kiln samples collected from sites in Fujian, China. These signatures are determined through the use of Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) and are then used to distinguish network patterns, examine ceramic homogeneity across the site, region, and island levels, and to suggest porcelains kiln sites as sources of production. This focus across various scales, and at both ends of this trade connection, allows for the examination of not just centers but also 'periphery' groups which were likewise connected and interlinked into this porcelain exchange network. This research outlines the potential of such an approach and produces results which suggest economic variability in acquisition strategies.
Agnes Paulita Roa (University of the Philippines - Diliman)
Paper short abstract:
This paper presents a new perspective on the search for Himolugan, the original settlement of the people of Cagayan de Oro City, based on the study of landscapes - both ancient and contemporary, place names, historical data, oral traditions and customs of Molugan and Huluga as frames of references.
Paper long abstract:
There is a decade old controversy regarding the true location of Himolugan, the original settlement of the people of Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, Philippines. The dispute is centered on a 1975 field report that is upheld by a group that pointed to an area in the outskirts of the city known as Huluga, as the site of Himolugan. However, a study published in 2005 by an archaeological team disproved the earlier report saying that the area was a habitational site and not a settlement. In 2010, a local historian came out with an independent research claiming a place called Molugan located several kilometers west of Cagayan de Oro, as the real site of Himolugan. This paper presents a new perspective on this controversial issue based on the study of landscapes - both ancient and contemporary, place names, historical data, oral traditions and customs of Molugan and Huluga as relevant frames of references in the search for the actual site of Himolugan.