S05 LIFE OF URBAN AND RURAL SOCIETIES IN ANCIENT SOUTHEAST ASIA

 


17 June 2019, Galleria 2, 1330-1700 hours
18 June 2019, Galleria 2, 0830-1000 hours

Convener: Dong Hoon Shin (cuteminjae@gmail.com) and Yong Jun Kim

This session aims to bring together researchers from Asia to discuss diverse aspects of Early Asian societies; daily life, health, social institution, ritual landscape and complex relationship between urban and rural societies. The movement of people, goods and resources keep in close connections. It is said that everyone has clear idea on what cities are, but still far unclear how big it should be. Today in Switzerland, urban areas are more than 10,000 inhabitants, while in Iceland, populations of several hundred for urban. Thus this session will touch upon different views on what urban is in Early Asia. Almost all ancient cities had rural origin as gradual evolution process, and then vast non-urban landscape next to them. Comparative analysis on the urbanization as transformation is welcome to this session. One of important aspects between urban and rural societies is ecology closely related with population density. It is common sense that health is an important factor, thus this session will discuss on ecology and health of inhabitant of urban and rural societies. The social aspect on how people conduct their daily lives and keep life values is another important issue. Not only people, goods and resources but also social norms and rituals had been on move between, but there were certain distinction between them. This session is open for social and ritual landscape of urban and rural societies in Early Southeast Asia.



Block 1: 17 June, 1330-1500 hrs

Urban, Village and Forest: Archaeology of Buddhism in Early Asia

Dr. Kim Yong Jun
Institute of Forensic Seoul National University College of Medicine
Seoul, South Korea
akedmina@naver.com

"Urbanization of Early India with socio-economical development has so far been one of most discussed aspects of South Asian history and archaeology. The beginning of Buddhism by its founder, the historical Buddha has also been discussed in same context and then its heyday as well as decline has also been similarly so. Thus even some suggests, not surprisingly, the existence of Buddhist sites indicate urban development. Urban milieu and extensive commercial networks had surely related with the story of Buddhism in Early India. Naturally this invokes new thinking of study on religious tradition from canonical texts which have generally illustrated what certain religion should be like rather than what have actually been so. Recent discussions on the archaeology of Buddhism suggest that we should trace what Buddhists had actually done (practice) rather than Canonical precept. And landscape perspective on the networks of socio-economic relationships provides new dimension for the sociology of Buddhism.

But there has been a danger to over-highlight an urbanism. If we will put an extensive map of Buddhist sites which has never been published, one will realize that urban Buddhism of Early India cannot represent as a single character.

This paper will briefly discuss on what a focus or achievements has been made while the study of Buddhism in Early India and moreover other parts of Asia by various field experts. And then less-focused achievements, non-urban context (village and forest) of Early Asia will be highlighted.



Early Modern period Cambodia: interim results from archaeological investigations at Longvek, 16th - 17th centuries

Yuni Sato
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
yunisato@hotmail.com

Martin Polkinghorne
Flinders University of South Australia
martinpolkinghorne@gmail.com

Voeun Vuthy
Royal Government of Cambodia, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
vuthyvoeunkh@yahoo.com

While the decline of Angkor is among the most significant events in the history of Southeast Asia, there is little known about the settlements that followed. Foremost among the capitals of Cambodia after Angkor was Longvek, reportedly founded by King Ang Chan I (reigned 1516/17 or 1526–66) during a time of great political upheaval. The principal sources of our knowledge about Longvek are the Royal Cambodian Chronicles, written many centuries after the events they purport to describe. While these texts are problematic as historical sources, another path to revealing Longvek and the Cambodian Early Modern period exists by utilising archaeology to examine the immense quantity of information that rests in the ground. This presentation will report interim results from the first systematic archaeological investigations at Longvek conducted by an international team of Cambodian, Japanese, and Australian researchers on the banks of the Tonle Sap River, with special attention to the most abundant and revealing material culture – the vast amounts of ceramic sherds from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.



Reading the ground at Sirpur; An early Historical site of Post Gupta period of India

Mr.Saurabh Popli
Associate Professor, School of Planning and Architecture
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
popli.saurabh@gmail.com

Dr.VishiUpadhyay
Assistant Curator, Bihar Museum
Patna,Bihar,India
vishi.arch@gmail.com

Mrs.Shivi Joshi
Assistant Professor, Amity University,
Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
shiviupadhyay@gmail.com

Sirpur was an important site for several succeeding cultures, the craft and versatility of its significant artefactual evidence points to long periods of inhabitation. The site lies on Lat-2l° 25'N, Long 82°14'Ein the Mahasamund district state of Chhattisgarh of India on the bank of river Mahanadi.Sirpur village is a major archaeological site was first discovered in 1872 by Alexander Cunningham. The site has significant post-Gupta brick built temple ruins of Rama andLakshmana temple as well as many structures related to Shaivism, Shaktism, Buddhism and Jainism. The Site was first excavated by the M.G. Dixit (Madhya Pradesh State Archaeology department and Sagar University) since 1953-55 and later by the A.K. Sharma (Directorate of Culture and Archaeology, Chhattisgarh) since 2004 to 2014, however the archaeologists have not advanced convincing a explanation of its landscape.Their research has suggested, unconvincingly, that the principal site of Sirpur finds was a merchant community, but significant doubts remains as to this theory, including the precise reasons and layout of its siting; these are exploredin depth in the paperand a case is made for re-evaluating the site for ritual and symbolic content. Further, the paper will attempt to uncover, reconstruct, and present a reasoned conjecture regarding the precise nature and extents of the early historical city at the present-day site of Sirpur.

Sripur is ancient nomenclature of Sirpur and it was first occupied by the Sharabhpuriya dynasty in 6th CE and emerged as the capital. During the period of Panduvanshis in 7th- 8thCE , the prosperity of this site touched to its zenith.

The lack of conclusive archaeological evidence regarding the use and nature of the settlements is a lacuna in the existing knowledge base of the civilizations that lived, flourished and died along this important region. Reading the landscape of Sirpur presents additional challenges, due to the landscapes’ ‘inherent open-endedness’ ... (and) “their reception of cultural meanings, as well as their continual evolution and transformation over time” (Sinha, 2006). In addition, recent paleo-botanical researchhas brought newer perspectives on the development of the landscape and its culture. Using the lens of geographical possibilism, the paper will attempt to uncover links between climate, settlement, and economy in the historical apogee of Sirpur.

Using and methods techniques from textual sources, archaeological finds, published research and landscape archaeology, including comparative analysis, the paper will attempt to uncover possible links between contemporary civilizations in other geographies.The phenomenological study of its landscape advances the understanding of this important historical site, by investigating the site as a register for natural and cultural fluxes, defined by its riparian and cultural contexts. By comparing available historical accounts in the literature – the site was mentioned by the 6th CE Chinese traveller Hsuein Tsang - with recently published paleo-archaeological and geomorphologic studies to understand its natural historical context and detailed readings of site using hermeneutic-phenomenological lens and methods, this study blurs the disciplinary divides between archaeology, history, culture studies, psycho-analytics and humanist geography. The paper advances a hermeneutic framework employing the concepts of ‘mimesis’, ‘archetype’, and ‘self-similarity’The study integrates current scholarship on cognitive and culture studies using available archaeological evidence to advance ideas as to the genius of the cultures that inhabited the region in historical time.



The ‘Rural’ Equation in Buddhist Religious Practices of Early Medieval Eastern India

Dr. Elora Tribedy
Department of Archaeology, Deccan College,
Pune, India
elora.tribedy@gmail.com

The era between 6-7th century CE to 12-13th century CE, referred to as the early medieval period,is often characterized by expansion of agrarian frontier, recurring changes in socio-administrative order and patronage patterns, and growing religious and political influence zones of Buddhist and Brahmanical establishments in the eastern part of India.Although a good number of early medieval habitations and economically affluent Buddhist establishments ( as a result of the frequent land donations) are known, research in last sixty years have shown that the spread of Buddhist practices in the hinterland of Odisha and Bihar was outstanding during this period than ever before. Moreover, at many times, Buddhist establishments in the span of early medieval period witnessed major shifts in the actions and practices of agency.

Previous academic highlight on monuments and find-spots of sculpture and inscriptions and casual oversight of the vast spread of landscape have complicated the understanding on how Buddhist practices were organized in the hinterlands of major monasteries or in the landscape during this time.

In present paper, an attempt has been made to approach such locations in regard to this religious dynamics in the landscape of the eastern India. The present study has studied zones of interest in the hinterlands of a few major Buddhist establishments of Bihar and Odisha where components such as lesser known Buddhist establishments, archaeological locations and sculptural find-spots have been analysed for their contextual significance.Present paper has also examined the ‘present’ of such past locations through ethnographic survey to see the transformation of actions and attitudes associated with locations and remains of early medieval period.

The paper will discuss on the possible existing ideas on ‘sacred space’, ‘identity’ and‘ political prerogative of religious establishments’ in the discussion of ‘rural’ in Buddhist religious practices of early medieval eastern India and highlight on the need to move beyond monument centric unilineal approach to critically engage in the religious landscape of early medieval eastern India.



Block 2: 17 June, 1530-1700 hrs

Ancient Parasitism in Asian Societies with Different Pattern of Urbanization in History

Dong Hoon Shin
Seoul National University
cuteminjae@gmail.com

Min Seo
Dankook University
bbbenji@naver.com

Parasitic infection is a disease that cannot be only interpreted from a medical point of view because natural as well as sociocultural environments are closely related to the occurrence of parasitism in a certain society. In history, the pattern of parasitic infection also became different as the people’s lifestyle changed over time. Of them, urbanization might have been one of the most important events in the history of parasitism. By archaeological and anthropological studies, it is proven that there was a difference in the pattern of parasitism between the societies where the urbanization significantly progressed and has not proceeded at all. As urbanization progressed, the ancient society’s population density increased, which made the parasite infection rate much higher, especially of soil-transmitted parasites (Ascaris or Trichuris). However, even in an urbanized area, parasitic infections do not always appear in the same pattern. For instance, when the city was prospering on the basis of fishery at the extensive reservoirs (e.g. Ankor), the ancient people was most likely to suffer from infections of a completely different pattern. Our report shows that the pattern of parasitic infection in history became different due to urbanization; in addition, even the urbanization showed different patterns of the parasitism depending on the city's diverse biocultural environments. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2017R1D1A1B03030127).



Regional Economics and the Dissipation of Angkor

D. Kyle LATINIS
david.kyle.latinis@gmail.com

Following the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Funan periods in Cambodia (approximately 15th century BCE to the 6th century CE), the economies of the subsequent Chenla and Angkor periods (7th-8th and 9th-15th centuries CE respectively) increasingly focused on domestic production and consumption. Shipwreck and terrestrial site data throughout Southeast Asia indicates less regional engagement, export and entrepreneurship. Despite having abundant resources; large scale surplus industries, sophisticated technical and management skills (e.g., water control, agriculture, aquaculture/fishing, mining, metallurgy, high quality craft production, infrastructure, urban planning, large sale construction, expert arts and architecture production, medical industries, higher learning centers, etc.); expert governance, religious and other knowledge; and capacities for massive production of numerous commodities and exotic goods, very few physical and nonphysical products, skills, knowledge, and professionals were exported. One might suggest an increasingly massive trade deficit developed throughout the Chenla and Angkor periods. In contrast, from at least the 13th-15th centuries, the Thai, Vietnamese, Cham, Chinese and other polities were highly entrepreneurial at the regional scale. They were exporting massive amounts of goods – reaching communities from at least Papua to Myanmar including major ports and cities to remote hinterland sites. Interestingly, we also see increased import of the same foreign products to Cambodia at the same time. Overall, this may be one of the significant factors in the dissipation of Angkor as a preeminent regional power. They were outcompeted by more regionally entrepreneurial polities and cultures while failing to be equally regionally engaged. This came with economic consequences.



Exploring Urban Landscapes and Transportation Systems in Early Imperial Lingnan

Michele H.S. Demandt
History Department, Jinan University, Guangzhou
m_demandt@outlook.com

Starting from 500 BC and continuing during the Qin and Han Dynasties more intense contacts between the Lingnan region (comprising Guangxi and Guangdong Province in Southern China and parts of Northern Vietnam) and Central China can be observed through the increased appearance of Central Plains' bronzes and ceramics, as well as the adoption of Chinese cultural and technological concepts. These interactions, assisted by the construction of a new transportation system, initiated a first wave of urbanization in Early Imperial Lingnan. Historical sources hint towards the implication of a system of social institutions for administrative control, the building of large-scale road infrastructure and facilities, and the opening up of a number of new roads connecting urban centers in Lingnan and Vietnam with the Central Plain during the Qin and Han Dynasties. Although transportation networks can instigate connectivity and facilitate social integration in large multi-ethnic territories, it is argued that the impact of the incorporation of the Lingnan region into the Qin-Han Empire and the consequent building of a transportation road system had less prominent effects on local dynamics and was limited to urban contexts. Archaeological evidence, such as the distribution pattern of Han settlements, cemeteries, and workshops, as well as the transmission of several Han-style craft products and architectural styles provide support for this.



Block 3: 18 June, 0830-1000 hrs

The Significance of Low-Density Settlements for Understanding Historical Change in Southeast Asia

Ben Dharmendra
University of Sydney
bdha2564@uni.sydney.edu.au

The existence of extensive areas of low-density settlement in contemporary Southeast Asia is well known. Often referred to as ‘desakota’, these settlement landscapes incorporate elements associated with both rural and urban land-use patterns and, thus, do not fit neatly into dominant conceptions of either category. These landscapes have, however, attracted significant scholarly attention in an attempt to understand their dynamics. Southeast Asian archaeology, in contrast, is in the early stages of coming to terms with the existence of pre-industrial low-density settlements in the region and is far from integrating an understanding of the potential mechanisms by which varieties in settlement morphology and density may have impacted the trajectories of historical change. With reference to the archaeological record of mainland Southeast Asia, this paper will argue that low-density settlements were likely to have been a relatively common habitation form for large periods of the region’s history, highlight how low-density and compact settlements enable and constrain the behaviours of inhabiting communities in different ways, and, in general, argue that an understanding of these differing dynamics is a useful component for analysing broader change in the Southeast Asian region.



On search of the ancient town Isiliain Brahmagiri (south India)through Ashokan rock edicts and archaeology contemporary to the spread of Buddhism into Southeast Asia

Dr. Arjun R.
Assistant Professor, School of Business Studies and Social Sciences, Bannerghatta Road Campus, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru 560076, India
arjunrao93@gmail.com

The Study of Iron Age (1200-300 BCE) and Early History (300 BCE-300 CE) is a crucial trajectory position in the timescale of South Indian History as it was the period of demographic change from village to urban societies. Though recent archaeological projects have made significant progress in understanding the Iron Age settlements and landscapes; yet, the Early History, despite of availability of both cultural materials and inscriptions of Ashoka Maurya (261-256 BCE) which emphasised on the spread of Buddhism contemporary to its spread into many of the Southeast Asian countries including Sri Lanka and Thailand is poorly understood.The characteristics of the cultural materials of Early History and how it differed from those of Iron Age; the preferred landscapes of early historic population and settlement patterning within the sites; the personality of urbanization (was it?) and subsequent continuation of village settlements requires to be addressed. The Brahmagiri Landscape and Settlement Survey (BLSS) project emphasised on these questions from the multi period site of Brahmagiriin South India. The Brahmagiri landscape constitutes three(Brahmagiri, Siddapura and Jatinaga Ramesvara) southernmost extent of the Ashoka rock edicts in the Deccan plateau, and it refers to its location as a town of Isilia. Following the reference to Isila, excavations were conducted at the site during 1930s and 1940’s assuming the town could be part of the edict locations,but it resulted in establishing the cultural sequence of south India. BLSS since 2016, undertook systematic transect surveys covering 16 sq. km of the hill site covering diverse landscapes and resource localities such as river, natural rock shelters and springs. The findings of the project are strongly indicating at the absence of any settlement as ‘town’ in nature. On the other hand, larger occupation of the Iron Age settlement in Brahmagiri landscape including covering the locations of the edicts and the chronometric dates for the transition of Iron Age- Early History determines on Isilia mentioned in the edict would correspond to the Iron Age settlement itself.



Ritual Landscape of Stepped Pyramid Hindu Temples in Prambanan Plain: A Case of Candi Barong and Candi Ijo

Aditya Revianur
Archaeology Department, Gadjah Mada University / Universitas Gadjah Mada
aditya.revianur@ugm.ac.id

Temple is an analogue of the cosmos and also modelled on Purusha, a cosmic man. The ritual landscape of Candi Barong and Candi Ijo is very unique if compared with another Hindu religious sites in the Prambanan Plain. Candi Ijo and Candi Barong were not erected anywhere, their position determined by Hindu conception. Both temple’s courtyards are divided into three parts and configured as the stepped pyramids (punden berundak). This paper reveals the main traits of religious occupancies at the temples during the ancient Javanese period (9th up to 10th centuries) such a river as the manifestation of the holy water (Tirtha) as mentioned in the Brhat Samhita and Bhavisya Purana, an orientation of each form of religious place, a divided courtyard into three parts, and the Hindu pilgrimage paths. The first terrace is the outer courtyard resembles Paisachika Pada or Jaba or the divine's feet where Asura and evil spirit resided. The second terrace, which manipulated higher than the first terrace, is the inner transitional courtyard resembles Manusha Pada or Jaba Tengah or the divine's body where human activities happened. The third terrace is the inner courtyard, the highest layer, resembles both Devika Pada and Brahma Pada or Jero, the divine's head where the sanctum sanctorum or garbhagriha located. The courtyard also confirms the relationship between religious site, landscape, and Hindu cosmology which determined the choice of a sacred site. The collaborations of ancient Javanese architect-priest (Sthapaka) and architect (Sthapati) in Candi Barong and Candi Ijo likely came from the same school. The configured courtyard signifies the reflection of ritual landscape and its relations with conceptualized space, showing the native concept and the influence of Hindu-Indian thought, as well as its limits.

Keywords: Landscape, Religious sites, Courtyard, Ancient Java



A study on ancient urban fashion from Amaravati Sculptures (With special reference to Madras Museum Amaravati Panels)

S. Deepika
State Department of Archaeology Government of Tamil Nadu Chennai
Tamil Nadu, India
deepikaarchy@gmail.com

Stupas have always been a major establishment for experiencing the theological Buddhism from ancient times in India. Stupas are a ceremonial burial mound used for the adoration of relics of Buddha and Buddhist saints by the disciples and followers, which has been scattered in major parts of the country. Amaravati Stupa or Mahachaitya is one of the ancient Stupa located at the southern most part of India. This Stupa has undergone numerous changes with addition of numerous elements by the various dynasties over the centuries in both art and architectural aspects. These additions of artistic elements such as railings, toranas etc are carved with extracts depicting the scenes from the life of Buddha and also delivers the visual form of ancient society. Art has always been used as a visual tool to understand and study the ancient society, as the above topic suggests this paper is related with the study on the urban fashion carved on the panels of the Stupa with special reference to the fashion style associated with clothing, ornaments, accessories etc which have been in vogue from 200BCE to 200CE. The study also helps to understand and determine the fashion trend practiced about 2000 yrs ago in the land of Southern India. As Amaravati was among the earlier schools of art, the style and creation always represents the native fashion in detailed, which in turn has been practiced by the locals during that era. It is also to be noted that Amaravati was one of the main Buddhist centers in southern India and thus it was considered to be one of the major centers flourishing with urban culture. The study implies the need to gather sufficient knowledge about urban fashion especially from the Amaravati sculptures located at the Madras museum.