This book compiles some of the first research by Southeast Asian archaeologists on this significant but neglected subject. It contains much new information on the roles of Southeast Asians in ancient commerce and industry, and on the nature of cultural interaction which has taken place in these sites for over 2,000 years.
The bulk of contributions in this volume concern Indonesia, as befits the immense geographical expanse of a nation comprising thousands of islands. The book brings together studies on Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago. Another chapter deals with protohistoric Malaysia. Chapters on the Philippines range from the thousand-year-old trading port of Butuan to Spanish colonial-era shipyards. A study of late prehistoric sites of inter-regional seaborne trade in peninsular Thailand indicates that these may be the oldest harbours in the region to link the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The publication should shed more light and encourage further research on this neglected field.
From ARI co-organized workshop “The Archaeology of Early Harbours and Evidence for Inter-regional Trade”, 14-15 June 2004.
