Archaeology in Singapore

Last updated

Archaeology in Singapore is a niche but growing discipline. Although there is generally a lack of government support for archeological work, many artifacts have been unearthed at sites around the island, helping to give a clearer picture of Singapore's history, both concerning the early history of Singapore and its subsequent colonial settlement following the founding of modern Singapore, the former being particularly useful in revealing archaeological evidence reflecting references to settlements such as Temasek, Ban Zu, Long Ya Men and the Kingdom of Singapura in chronicles and records.

Contents

Sites

The first site excavation was carried out in 1984 by John N. Miksic at Fort Canning. [1] [2] Since then, places where site surveys have been carried out include:

There have been site excavations in these areas:

Major finds

At Fort Canning, the oldest archaeological site in Singapore, many artefacts dating back to the 14th century have been uncovered, including ceramics from the Yuan dynasty period, Indian glass beads, Chinese porcelain ware and copper coins. [3]

Although Fort Tanjong Katong, whose construction started only in 1879, was much newer than Fort Canning, a number of artifacts have also been unearthed there. 36 bags of marine ecofact and coral samples were collected from the site and have been sent to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for analysis. Significant parts of the fort, which was demolished after World War I, were also found in situ . [4]

There were so many artifacts uncovered at the Padang that both the work period and the size of the test pit were lengthened. The artifacts include indigenous earthenware, Chinese trade ceramics, and coins from the Tang, Song and Jin dynasties. [5]

Investigations in the south-east corner of Istana Kampong Glam indicate that a structure may have predated the existing Istana, which was built around 1842. This would support written accounts that have described a wooden structure that Sultan Hussein and his family lived in as early as 1830. The earliest dated artifacts unearthed are Dutch East India Company and mid-Qing coins. Other artifacts recovered are mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries and include Malay earthenware, European transfer print ceramic, Japanese ceramic ware, and various species of marine gastropods and bivalves. [6]

Excavations at St. Andrew's Cathedral have revealed artifacts dating from the 14th century to the 20th century, which suggest that the 14th-century settlement in Singapore extended well beyond the Singapore River. [7]

Challenges

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Miksic, now an associate professor in the Southeast Asian Studies Program and the Asia Research Institute at NUS, lamented that "Singapore is probably the only country in the world that does not employ state archaeologists. Even the government of Brunei, with a population one-tenth that of Singapore's, hires them…. Singapore has chosen to be different in this area, which is a very strange phenomenon." [2]

As there is no official support of archaeological work, there is no centralised storage space for excavated artifacts. Even those unearthed many years ago languish in the homes, storerooms or offices of excavation participants. For example, the artifacts from the Fort Tanjong Katong dig are currently housed in Mountbatten Community Club. [2]

In addition, there is no legislation requiring that archaeologists be consulted before construction works proceed, unlike in European countries. [2]

Promotion of archaeology

Despite the abovementioned problems, there is still interest in Singapore's history before 1819. NUS has organised a course, "History of Singapore before the Landing of Raffles" annually since 1998, which attracts 250 to 500 interested students each time. [2]

Other means of promoting archaeology have included public talks, collaborative research between archaeologists and the National Parks Board, and encouraging community involvement in site surveys and excavations. The excavations at Fort Tanjong Katong and St. Andrew's Cathedral saw enthusiastic participation from members of the public, and there was dismay when the Fort Tanjong Katong excavation pits were filled in at the start of 2006, ostensibly to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

The year 2004 in archaeology included many events, some of which are listed below.

Nanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao, commonly abbreviated as Lianhe Zaobao, is the largest Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper with a daily circulation of about 136,900 as of 2021. Published by SPH Media, it was formed on 16 March 1983 as a result of a merger between Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, two of Singapore's oldest Chinese newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.

National monuments of Singapore are sites, buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the National Heritage Board (NHB) as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value. For historical significance, these buildings are not allowed to be demolished. The Preservation of Monuments Act gives the board authority to order the preservation of such sites and promote research and public interest in the monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Canning Hill</span> Park in Singapore

Fort Canning Hill, formerly Government Hill, Singapore Hill and Bukit Larangan, or simply known as Fort Canning, is a prominent hill, about 48 metres (157 ft) high, in the southeast portion of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Singapore's central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay Heritage Centre</span> History museum in Sultan Gate, Singapore

The Malay Heritage Centre is a cultural centre and museum located at Sultan Gate off Beach Road in Kampong Glam, Singapore. It showcases the culture, heritage and history of Malay Singaporeans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanjong Rhu</span> Subzone of Kallang Planning Area in Central Region

Tanjong Rhu is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The perimeter of Tanjong Rhu is made up of Nicoll Highway in the north; Mountbatten Road and Fort Road in the east; East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south; as well as Marina Channel and Kallang Basin in the west. Tanjong Rhu is the largest in terms of physical area among the nine subzones that make up Kallang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Istana Kampong Glam</span> Former palace in Singapore

Istana Kampong Glam, also Istana Kampong Gelam, is a former Malay palace in Singapore. It is located near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Glam. The palace and compounds were refurbished into the Malay Heritage Centre in 2004. The palace was gazetted as a national monument on the eve of Singapore's Golden Jubilee, on 6 August 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gedung Kuning</span> Mansion in Kampong Glam, Singapore

Gedung Kuning is a Malay historical residence in Singapore. Located at 73 Sultan Gate, Gedung Kuning stands just outside the Malay Heritage Centre, near Masjid Sultan in the historic district of Kampong Glam in Singapore. However, from 1919 to 1925, the Gedung Kuning's address was 33 Sultan Gate. Once forming an annexe to the adjacent palace of Singapore's Malay rulers, Istana Kampong Glam, it became the private residence of Haji Yusoff, a prominent Malayo-Javanese merchant and four generations of his family. Together with the Istana, the compound was refurbished as part of the development of the Malay Heritage Centre in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamestown Rediscovery</span>

Jamestown Rediscovery is an archaeological project of Preservation Virginia investigating the remains of the original English settlement at Jamestown established in the Virginia Colony in North America beginning on May 14, 1607.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Tanjong Katong</span> Colonial Singapore defensive structure

Fort Tanjong Katong, which stood from 1879 to 1901, was one of the oldest military forts built by the former British colonial government of Singapore. The fort gave its name to today's Fort Road, and it used to stand on the grounds of the present Katong Park. Fort Tanjong Katong, the only one of its kind on the eastern side of the island, was part of a series of defensive batteries and fortifications along the southern coast of Singapore, that defended the eastern approaches to the Singapore Harbour and Singapore Town against seaborne attacks. Due to its poor structural design and remoteness, the fort was subsequently abandoned and buried until its rediscovery in 2001. Found with traces of a moat and near intact perimeter wall, the fort was considered by local archaeological experts as one of Singapore's most important archaeological finds of a "true 19-century fort" to date. As a result, an archaeology group has been lobbying for the site to be gazetted as a National Monument. As of May 2010, the National Heritage Board has stated that it has no plans to gazette the fort for the time being.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beifudi</span> Archaeological site

Beifudi is an archaeological site and Neolithic village in Yi County, Hebei, China. The site, an area of 3 ha on the northern bank of the Yishui River, contains artifacts of a culture contemporaneous with the Cishan and Xinglongwa cultures of about 8000–7000 BP, two known Neolithic cultures east of the Taihang Mountains, and thus fills an archaeological gap between the two Northern Chinese cultures. The total excavated area is more than 1,200 square meters and the collection of neolithic findings at the site has been conducted in two phases.

The names of Singapore include the various historical appellations as well as contemporary names and nicknames in different languages used to describe the island, city or country of Singapore. A number of different names have been given to the settlement or the island of Singapore all through history, the earliest record may have been from the 2nd century AD. Possible mentions of Pulau Ujong, the name for the island of Singapore, may be found in Chinese works, and it was also referred to as Temasek in Malay and Javanese literature. Sometime in the 14th century the name was changed to Singapura, which is now rendered as Singapore in English. Singapura means "Lion City" in Sanskrit, and Sang Nila Utama is usually credited with naming the city, although its actual origin is uncertain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tutuala</span> Suco and town in Lautém District, East Timor

Tutuala is a village and suco in the subdistrict of Tutuala. It is situated at the extreme eastern end of Timor. Its population at the 2004 census was 3,707. The subdistrict of Tutuala comprises two sucos, including Mehara and Tutuala with the subdistrict administrator residing in Tutuala. The suco of Tutuala comprised four hamlets (aldeia): Ioro, Pitileti, Tchailoro, and Vero. The main Fataluku language areas of the country are in Tutuala, as well as Lautem and Fuiloro.

Samrong Sen on the east bank of the Stueng Chinit River is a prehistoric archaeological site in the Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia. Consisting of a very large fluviatile shell midden, it flourished in particular from 1500 BC to 500 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katong Park MRT station</span> Future Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore

Katong Park MRT station is a future underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Thomson–East Coast line situated at the boundary of the planning areas of Kallang and Marine Parade, Singapore. The station is located underneath the junction of Fort Road, Tanjong Rhu Road and Meyer Road and will serve the Katong Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ban Zu</span>

Ban Zu or Banzu was a port settlement believed to have thrived in Singapore during the 14th century. It is thought to be located on Fort Canning Hill and the area on the north bank of the Singapore River basin between the hill and the sea. It was mentioned by the Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan in his work Daoyi Zhilüe together with Long Ya Men as the two settlements that made up Temasek. It may have been abandoned before 1400 after an attack by either the Siamese or the Majapahit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katong Park</span> Park in Katong, Singapore

Katong Park is neighborhood park located in Katong, Singapore at the junction of Meyer Road and Fort Road. Built in the 1930s above the buried remains of Fort Tanjong Katong, it was one of Singapore’s oldest parks with the first public bathing pagar and was highly popular with families during the weekends. After the coastal reclamation works in the 1970s, the park lost its sea frontage and declined greatly in popularity. It now remains as a small community park serving nearby residents.

John Norman Miksic is an American-born archaeologist.

References

  1. "South-east Asia ArchaeologyArchaeology in Singapore". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 卢丽珊 (2006-04-23). "在本地考古很寂寞 (It is lonely to be an archaeologist in Singapore)". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). Singapore Press Holdings. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  3. "Archaeology in SingaporeFort Canning". Archived from the original on 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  4. "Archaeology in SingaporeFort Tanjong Katong". Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  5. "Archaeology in SingaporePadang". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  6. "Archaeology in SingaporeIstana Kampong Glam". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  7. "Archaeology in SingaporeSt. Andrew's Cathedral". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
  8. 卢丽珊 (2006-04-02). "出土古堡垒,为何又入土? (Why has an excavated fort been filled in again?)". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). Singapore Press Holdings. p. 4.