Wonoboyo Hoard | |
---|---|
![]() The replica of Wonoboyo hoard golden artifacts, displayed at Prambanan Museum. The real Wonoboyo hoard is in display at National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta | |
Material | Gold and Silver |
Created | circa 9th century |
Discovered | Plosokuning hamlet, Wonoboyo village, Klaten, Central Java, near Prambanan (1990) |
Present location | National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta |
Wonoboyo hoard is an important archaeological find of golden and silver artifacts from the 9th century Mataram Kingdom in Central Java, Indonesia. It was discovered in October 1990 in Plosokuning hamlet, Wonoboyo village, Klaten, Central Java, near Prambanan. [1] [2]
The hoard was discovered on 17 October 1990 in Plosokuning hamlet, Wonoboyo village, Klaten, Central Java, when a paddy field owned by Mrs. Cipto Suwarno was being dug by Witomoharjo and five other workers as part of an irrigation project. [1] [2] After digging down 2.5 metres, Witomoharjo hit a hard surface that he thought was a stone. However, after digging further they unearthed three large terracotta jars containing large numbers of coins and amounts of gold artifacts. The discovery was reported to village authorities and reached the attention of the Culture and Education Authority.
The total weight of the treasure was 16.9 kilograms of valuable artifacts, of which 14.9 kilograms were gold and 2 kilograms were silver. It consists of more than 1,000 ceremonial objects, including:
In addition to the above artifacts, there were more than 6,000 gold and silver coins.
The Wonoboyo hoard is displayed in the Treasure Room at the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, [2] and a replica of the treasure is on display at the Prambanan Museum. The hoard has also been exhibited in Australia. [2]
The Wonoboyo hoard is one of the most important archaeological findings in Indonesia. Next to the high value of the gold and silver artifacts, it is also significant to reveal the wealth, economy, art, and culture of the 9th-century Javanese Mataram Kingdom. The artifacts show the intricate artworks and also display the aesthetic and technical mastery of ancient Java goldsmiths. On the surface of the gold coins engraved with the script "ta", a short form of "tail" or "tahil" a unit of currency in ancient Java. Also revealed the script "Saragi Diah Bunga" engraved in one of the treasures written in the Kawi language, which probably was the name of the owner. [1] The hoard was estimated dated from the reign of King Balitung (899–911). [1] The treasure has been identified as belonging to a noble or a member of the royal family. [2]
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's most populous island, home to approximately 56% of the Indonesian population. Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, is on Java's northwestern coast.
Central Java is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in the south, East Java in the east, and the Java Sea in the north. It has a total area of 34,337.48 km2, with a population of 36,516,035 at the 2020 Census making it the third-most populous province in both Java and Indonesia after West Java and East Java. The official population estimate in mid-2022 was 37,032,410. The province also includes a number of offshore islands, including the island of Nusakambangan in the south, and the Karimun Jawa Islands in the Java Sea.
Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, in southern Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimūrti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple compound is located approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of the city of Yogyakarta on the boundary between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces.
Kakawin Ramayana is an Old Javanese poem rendering of the Sanskrit Ramayana in kakawin meter.
The Mataram Kingdom ; also known as Medang Kingdom was a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the kingdom was ruled by the Shailendra dynasty and Ishana dynasty.
The Sanjaya dynasty was a Javanese dynasty which ruled the Mataram Kingdom in Java during the first millennium CE. The dynasty promoted Hinduism on the island.
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an important centre for classical Javanese fine arts and culture such as ballet, batik textiles, drama, literature, music, poetry, silversmithing, visual arts, and wayang puppetry. Renowned as a centre of Indonesian education, Yogyakarta is home to a large student population and dozens of schools and universities, including Gadjah Mada University, the country's largest institute of higher education and one of its most prestigious.
A candi is a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesia, mostly built during the Zaman Hindu-Buddha or "Hindu-Buddhist period" between circa the 4th and 15th centuries.
Kedu Plain, also known as Progo River valley, is the fertile volcanic plain that lies between the volcanoes Mount Sumbing and Mount Sundoro to the west, and Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi to the east. It roughly corresponds to present-day Magelang and Temanggung Regency of Central Java, Indonesia.
The National Museum of Indonesia is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, right on the west side of Merdeka Square. Popularly known as the Elephant Museum after the elephant statue in its forecourt, its broad collections cover all of Indonesia's territory and almost all of its history. The museum has endeavoured to preserve Indonesia's heritage for two centuries.
Dance in Indonesia reflects the country's diversity of ethnicities and cultures. There are more than 1,300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian and even western styles through colonization. Each ethnic group has its own dances: there are more than 3,000 original dance forms in Indonesia. The old traditions of dance and drama are being preserved in the many dance schools which flourish not only in the courts but also in the modern, government-run or supervised art academies.
Trowulan is an archaeological site in Trowulan Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, in the Indonesian province of East Java. It includes approximately 100 square kilometres and has been theorized to be the site of the eponymous capital city of the Majapahit Empire, which is described by Mpu Prapanca in the 14th-century poem Nagarakretagama and in a 15th-century Chinese source. When it was the capital of the Majapahit Empire, the city was known as Wilwatikta, which is a name also synonymous with the empire's name. It was razed during the invasion of Girindrawardhana to defeat Kertabhumi in 1478. After this event Majapahit's capital was moved to Daha (Kediri). The Trowulan Museum includes a collection of artifacts.
Prambanan Temple Compounds is the World Heritage designation of a group of Hindu temple compounds that lie on the border between Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. It comprises Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu temple compounds, all are located within Prambanan Archaeological Park.
Kewu Plain, also known as Prambanan Plain or Opak River valley, is a fertile volcanic plain that lies between Merapi-Merbabu complex in the north, Bantul lowlands and Sewu karst limestone range in the south, Bengawan Solo river valley in the east, the Progo River in the west, and Kedu Plain on northwest. It is located within the Yogyakarta Special Region, Sleman Regency, Klaten Regency and Solo City, Indonesia.
Hundreds of ancient stone religious monuments lie on the island of Java. Known as candi in Indonesian, they date from the early classical period of Javanese civilisation, beginning in the first part of the 8th century CE and ending after 900 CE. The majority were built between 780 CE and 860 CE, even though the civilisation that created them existed for many centuries.
The Ramayana Ballet is a visualization and representation of the epic Ramayana saga, originally written by Valmiki in the Sanskrit language, in a highly stylized dance artform. Ramayana Ballet performance combines music, dance and drama, usually performed without dialogue.
It is quite difficult to define Indonesian art, since the country is immensely diverse. The sprawling archipelago nation consists of 17.000 islands. Around 922 of those permanently inhabited, by over 1,300 ethnic groups, which speak more than 700 living languages.
Paduraksa, also known as kori is a type of gateway covered with towering roof that can be found in the island of Java and Bali, Indonesia. This architectural feature is commonly found in buildings from the classical Hindu-Buddhist period of Indonesia. Paduraksa marks the threshold into the most sacred space within a religious compound, a cemetery, or a palace. In Balinese architecture, an elaborately decorated towering paduraksa is often built as the temple's most imposing structure.
The archaeology of Indonesia is the study of the archaeology of the archipelagic realm that today forms the nation of Indonesia, stretching from prehistory through almost two millennia of documented history. The ancient Indonesian archipelago was a geographical maritime bridge between the political and cultural centers of Ancient India and Imperial China, and is notable as a part of ancient Maritime Silk Road.