The Butuan Silver Palaeograph, also known as the Butuan Silver Strip, is a piece of metal with inscriptions found in Butuan, in the Agusan province of the Philippines, in mid-1970s.
Additional coffins of the same type, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, were found at the site. According to Jesus Peralta, the coffins contained human remains with artificially deformed skulls - a practice in this region limited to Southern Philippines and unpopular in Luzon. Due to the similarities found between the coffins, archaeologists originally assumed that the artifact originated in the same era.
The paleograph has yet to be deciphered. Peralta indicated that Boechari[who?] of Indonesia identified the writings as closely resembling a Javanese script that existed from the 12th to the 15th century. Debate has arisen concerning the artifact's origin, but it currently is considered to originate in Butuan, where it was found.
The artifact is now in the possession of Proceso Gonzales, the city engineer of Butuan.[1]
Archaeological Context and Cultural Significance
The discovery of the Butuan Silver Paleograph in the 1970s occurred in the context of significant archaeological activity in the Agusan region, where funerary practices and trade interactions have long been studied. Excavations in Butuan have revealed coffins with artificially deformed skulls, Chinese ceramics from Ming dynasty trade, and gold ornaments, all of which indicate a society engaged in both local ritual practices and broader regional exchange. The paleograph was found inside a wooden coffin alongside such artifacts, suggesting a burial setting of considerable status. [2]
Comparatively, the presence of inscribed metal strips is rare in Philippine archaeology. Most pre-colonial writing artifacts in the archipelago are found in stone, bone, or on perishable materials. In Southeast Asia more broadly, however, metal inscriptions and scripts carved on durable materials have been documented, e.g. in Indonesia, with the Kawi script or similar systems. The reported resemblance of the Silver Paleograph’s characters to a Javanese or Kawi style script (as studied by Indonesian paleographers) provides a clue that the artifact may illuminate early script transmission and cultural influence across maritime trading networks during the 14th-15th centuries.[3]
The association of the Butuan Silver Paleograph with elite burial customs is substantiated by archaeological evidence from Butuan burial sites. Wooden coffin burials, some containing human remains with artificial cranial deformation, have been uncovered in the Ambangan area, Libertad, Butuan City. These burials often contain imported trade goods, Chinese ceramics, gold ornaments, beads which suggest that the individuals interred were of high social status. Radiocarbon and stratigraphic contexts date many of these burials to the 14th-15th centuries.[4]
Further context comes from the wide variety of material culture uncovered at Butuan. Excavations reveal large volumes of both high-fired Chinese tradewares (from the Five Dynasties, Song, and Ming periods) and ceramics from Thailand and Vietnam, alongside glass beads and metal artifacts (iron, bronze, gold). These findings support the understanding that Butuan was not only locally developed but also a node in long-distance maritime trade networks in Southeast Asia, with durable goods and metallurgical skills playing roles in economic and social stratification.[5]
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