Beads Trade in Peninsula Malaysia - Malay Civilization - Universiti ...
Beads Trade in Peninsula Malaysia - Malay Civilization - Universiti ... Beads Trade in Peninsula Malaysia - Malay Civilization - Universiti ...
European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 10, Number 4 (2009) Beads Trade in Peninsula Malaysia: Based on Archaeological Evidences Zuliskandar Ramli Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, Malaysia E-mail: ziskandar@ukm.my Tel: +603-89213694; Fax: +603-89254698 Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, Malaysia Nik Abdul Rahman Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, Malaysia Abstract Beadsmaking industries are the oldest handcraft industries in the world. The oldest beads were made from seeds, sea shells, animal bones and animal claws. Century’s later clay, resin, wax, stone, glass and metal were used to produce the bead as the human knowledge in science and technology had grows tremendously. In Peninsula Malaysia, thousand of glass and stone beads were firstly reported by Evans during his excavation at Kuala Selinsing, Perak. In Pulau Kelumpang, several type of stone found here were made from carnelian, agate, beryl, sodalite, moldavite, plasma, jasper, aventurine and quartz cat eye. The origin of the stone beads that had been unearth from Pulau Kelumpang archaeological sites were not local but had been brought from elsewhere. The stone beads found in Pulau Kelumpang were probably introduced either as raw materials or as finished products and could have been originated from India, Middle East and perhaps China. Beryl, plasma, aventurine and sodalite had been mined for centuries in India, particularly from Mysore, Coimbatore, Rajasthan and Kashmir. Similarly the Middle East countries, particularly Iran and Iraq are well known for producing sodalite and aventurine. The Chinese for ages used plasma and aventurine as jade substitutes. H.D Collings also found several glass beads when he excavated metal age burial at Slim River, Perak. In the middle of 1930’s, G.B Gardner made an impressive collection of a wide range of types of glass beads in Johor Lama and Kota Tinggi and then sent them to Horace Beck to identify the origin of the beads. The beads found in Kota Tinggi can be characterized as a Roman beads and South East Asia type with parallels at Pengkalan Bujang and Kuala Selinsing. The discovery of thousand of beads made from glass, stone, clay, wood and metal at Kampung Sungai Mas, Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah and Pengkalan Bujang, Kedah showed that Bujang Valley from 5 th to 13 th Century functioned as an entreport in South East Asia region. Scientific analysis on monochrome glass beads from Kampung Sungai Mas suggested that Sungai Mas was among the Indo Pacific glass beadsmaking centre in the world. Several beads also found in 585
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European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 10, Number 4 (2009)<br />
<strong>Beads</strong> <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>: Based on Archaeological<br />
Evidences<br />
Zuliskandar Ramli<br />
Institute of the <strong>Malay</strong> World and <strong>Civilization</strong> (ATMA)<br />
<strong>Universiti</strong> Kebangsaan <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
E-mail: ziskandar@ukm.my<br />
Tel: +603-89213694; Fax: +603-89254698<br />
Nik Hassan Shuhaimi<br />
Institute of the <strong>Malay</strong> World and <strong>Civilization</strong> (ATMA)<br />
<strong>Universiti</strong> Kebangsaan <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
Nik Abdul Rahman<br />
Institute of the <strong>Malay</strong> World and <strong>Civilization</strong> (ATMA)<br />
<strong>Universiti</strong> Kebangsaan <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
Abstract<br />
<strong>Beads</strong>mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustries are the oldest handcraft <strong>in</strong>dustries <strong>in</strong> the world. The oldest beads<br />
were made from seeds, sea shells, animal bones and animal claws. Century’s later clay,<br />
res<strong>in</strong>, wax, stone, glass and metal were used to produce the bead as the human knowledge<br />
<strong>in</strong> science and technology had grows tremendously. In Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>, thousand of<br />
glass and stone beads were firstly reported by Evans dur<strong>in</strong>g his excavation at Kuala<br />
Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak. In Pulau Kelumpang, several type of stone found here were made from<br />
carnelian, agate, beryl, sodalite, moldavite, plasma, jasper, aventur<strong>in</strong>e and quartz cat eye.<br />
The orig<strong>in</strong> of the stone beads that had been unearth from Pulau Kelumpang archaeological<br />
sites were not local but had been brought from elsewhere. The stone beads found <strong>in</strong> Pulau<br />
Kelumpang were probably <strong>in</strong>troduced either as raw materials or as f<strong>in</strong>ished products and<br />
could have been orig<strong>in</strong>ated from India, Middle East and perhaps Ch<strong>in</strong>a. Beryl, plasma,<br />
aventur<strong>in</strong>e and sodalite had been m<strong>in</strong>ed for centuries <strong>in</strong> India, particularly from Mysore,<br />
Coimbatore, Rajasthan and Kashmir. Similarly the Middle East countries, particularly Iran<br />
and Iraq are well known for produc<strong>in</strong>g sodalite and aventur<strong>in</strong>e. The Ch<strong>in</strong>ese for ages used<br />
plasma and aventur<strong>in</strong>e as jade substitutes. H.D Coll<strong>in</strong>gs also found several glass beads<br />
when he excavated metal age burial at Slim River, Perak. In the middle of 1930’s, G.B<br />
Gardner made an impressive collection of a wide range of types of glass beads <strong>in</strong> Johor<br />
Lama and Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi and then sent them to Horace Beck to identify the orig<strong>in</strong> of the<br />
beads. The beads found <strong>in</strong> Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi can be characterized as a Roman beads and South<br />
East Asia type with parallels at Pengkalan Bujang and Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g. The discovery of<br />
thousand of beads made from glass, stone, clay, wood and metal at Kampung Sungai Mas,<br />
Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah and Pengkalan Bujang, Kedah showed that Bujang Valley from<br />
5 th to 13 th Century functioned as an entreport <strong>in</strong> South East Asia region. Scientific analysis<br />
on monochrome glass beads from Kampung Sungai Mas suggested that Sungai Mas was<br />
among the Indo Pacific glass beadsmak<strong>in</strong>g centre <strong>in</strong> the world. Several beads also found <strong>in</strong><br />
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Ang<strong>in</strong> Cave at Jerantut, Pahang showed that the beads were used as trad<strong>in</strong>g item between<br />
the coastal and <strong>in</strong>land people. The discoveries of beads have shown that the <strong>in</strong>ternational<br />
trades <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> have begun s<strong>in</strong>ce 500 B.C. and the traders came from India,<br />
Persia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Ch<strong>in</strong>a.<br />
Keywords: <strong>Beads</strong>, Indo Pacific glass beads, Sungai Mas, Pulau Kelumpang<br />
1. Introduction<br />
<strong>Beads</strong> are universal objects and found <strong>in</strong> most countries of the world. <strong>Beads</strong> are the most widely<br />
travelled of all prehistoric artefacts as many were produced thousands of miles from their place of<br />
discovery. S<strong>in</strong>ce prehistoric times, they have been prom<strong>in</strong>ent items <strong>in</strong> both regional and <strong>in</strong>ternational<br />
trade.<br />
Bead-mak<strong>in</strong>g is one of the most world oldest crafts. The first beads were made from seeds,<br />
shell, animal teeth, claws and bone. Later clay, stone, wax, res<strong>in</strong>, glass and metal were used. Stones<br />
used for mak<strong>in</strong>g beads <strong>in</strong>cluded agate, chalcedony, beryl, jasper, quartz, carnelian, amethyst, crystal,<br />
jade and granite. The oldest carnelian beads from the Royal Graves of Ur <strong>in</strong> Mesopotamia date to 2500<br />
BC. In India, carnelian beads were produced on a large scale from about 1500 BC. <strong>Beads</strong> play a<br />
significant role <strong>in</strong> research<strong>in</strong>g the formation of early human cultures. They were extremely valued<br />
objects, not only dur<strong>in</strong>g a person’s lifetime, but even after death as beads had been found as part of the<br />
grave offer<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> some early burials.<br />
The function of beads covered all aspects of <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>n life, such as birth, marriage, customs,<br />
religion and economic. In the archaeological context, beads are evidence that early societies possessed<br />
sophisticated social, culture, economic and trad<strong>in</strong>g systems. The utilization of beads as a form of<br />
currency by early <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>n societies also showed that they participated <strong>in</strong> a well-function<strong>in</strong>g<br />
economic system. In addition, the wear<strong>in</strong>g of special, highly valued beads by particular people <strong>in</strong> the<br />
community clearly shows that there was a form of social hierarchy <strong>in</strong> existence <strong>in</strong> <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> from<br />
prehistoric times.<br />
2. Interpret<strong>in</strong>g Glass Analysis<br />
A lots of beads found <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> can be categories as an Indo Pacific <strong>Beads</strong> or generally<br />
known as monochrome glass bead. These beads are made from glass and composed of many different<br />
elements. Glassmak<strong>in</strong>g was traditionally an art, not a science, and early glassmakers did not have an<br />
ability to purify their <strong>in</strong>gredients completely. Some elements <strong>in</strong> glass are important <strong>in</strong> trac<strong>in</strong>g the orig<strong>in</strong><br />
of the raw materials, but others are not considered significant. The constituents of glass may group <strong>in</strong>to<br />
six categories:<br />
1) Glass Formers. All glass considered here is silica-based. The silica contents vary from less than<br />
55 percent to nearly 75 percent. The difference depends on the amount of other <strong>in</strong>gredients; it is<br />
rarely crucial to understand<strong>in</strong>g glass samples. The other important glass former is lead, which<br />
by virtue of its high specific gravity can register up to 90 percent of weight of <strong>in</strong>gredients. No<br />
Indo-Pacific beads were made of lead glass. However, the lack of lead <strong>in</strong> some of these glasses<br />
is important.<br />
2) Alkalies. Silica melts at a very high temperature, too high for any ancient furnace to reach. A<br />
flux, employed to lower the melt<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t of silica, needed to be added to the batch. Lead can<br />
serve as a flux, but more often alkalies were used, pr<strong>in</strong>cipally sodium (as soda) and potassium<br />
(as potash). They were derived from soil deposits, evaporated seawater or sal<strong>in</strong>e lakes, or the<br />
ashes of plants. Plants ash is usually a mixture of these two alkalies. In fact, most alkalies <strong>in</strong><br />
ancient glasses are mixed to some degree. The ratio of alkalies <strong>in</strong> glass is often an important<br />
clue to their association and their sources.<br />
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3) Secondary <strong>in</strong>gredients. Calcium, alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron, manganese and magnesium are usually<br />
present <strong>in</strong> older glass <strong>in</strong> concentration from 1.0 to 10 percent; their higher concentration is rare.<br />
Lime (calcium) is necessary to stabilize glass, though ancient glassmakers may not have<br />
realized this (Turner, 1956). Manganese and iron may be added as colorants; otherwise, along<br />
with alum<strong>in</strong>ium and magnesium, they are impurities <strong>in</strong>troduced with sand, the alkalies,<br />
colorants, or the crucibles (especially <strong>in</strong> the case of alum<strong>in</strong>ium).<br />
4) Colorants. Metal salts are added to the batch to impart various hues. Upon fir<strong>in</strong>g they convert to<br />
oxides. All but the purest modern glasses have some color. Iron and copper, both common by<br />
the time glass was <strong>in</strong>vented, can impart a wide spectrum of colours, depend<strong>in</strong>g on their<br />
amounts and how the glass is worked. Manganese and cobalt are powerful colorants that have<br />
been known for a long time.<br />
5) Opacifiers. Arsenic, antimony and t<strong>in</strong> have been used as opacifiers, as have salt, bone, and<br />
fluorides. The elements <strong>in</strong> these <strong>in</strong>gredients are also commonly found <strong>in</strong> trace amounts.<br />
Purposeful addition is not usually assumed until a concentration of 1.0 percent or so is reached.<br />
6) Trace elements. T<strong>in</strong>y amounts of other elements enter the glass batch <strong>in</strong>advertently. Titanium,<br />
vanadium, gold, silver and others are nearly always present <strong>in</strong> amount of 0.1 percent, 0.01<br />
percent, or even less. Comb<strong>in</strong>ations of trace elements may provide a “f<strong>in</strong>gerpr<strong>in</strong>t” to help<br />
identify particular glasses, but the validity of that expectation has not yet been demonstrated.<br />
There is still not enough analysis reveal<strong>in</strong>g such “f<strong>in</strong>gerpr<strong>in</strong>ts” to be useful <strong>in</strong> compar<strong>in</strong>g them.<br />
Differences <strong>in</strong> trace elements may be attributed to any of the primary or secondary constituents<br />
of glass, and the sources of these <strong>in</strong>gredients may vary widely, even at on glasshouse.<br />
Early glass beads made <strong>in</strong> Southeast Asia were probably manufactured from glass scrap<br />
imported from Middle East or the Mediterranean. ‘Roman style’ glass beads, particular eye beads, may<br />
have been imported after the fall of Roman Empire but before the twelfth century and certa<strong>in</strong>ly before<br />
Europeans arrived <strong>in</strong> South East Asia.<br />
Figure 1: Location of beads found <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
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3. <strong>Beads</strong> Found <strong>in</strong> Archaeological Sites<br />
In Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>, most discoveries of ancient beads were results from archaeological excavation<br />
and by the local people that found the beads by co<strong>in</strong>cidences especially <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley, Kedah. The<br />
oldest beads yet discovered <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>, which date to about 2500 years ago, were found<br />
<strong>in</strong>side a granite cist grave <strong>in</strong> the Bernam Valley of south Perak. <strong>Beads</strong> dat<strong>in</strong>g from the Dongson<br />
cultural period (600 BC-400AD) had been found <strong>in</strong> Johor at Johor Lama and Makam Kota near Kota<br />
T<strong>in</strong>ggi and at Kampung Pencu near Muar; at Pantai Batu Buruk, Terengganu and at Kampung Sungai<br />
Lang, Selangor. Large f<strong>in</strong>ds of beads have also been unearth <strong>in</strong> Perak at Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g (200BC-10 th<br />
century AD), the Bujang Valley of Kedah (5 th -14 th century AD) and at Takuapa and Patani <strong>in</strong> southern<br />
Thailand (8 th – 9 th century A.D). The types of beads discovered <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sular <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> are similar to<br />
those discovered <strong>in</strong> Sarawak and other Southeast Asian sites.<br />
3.1. Bujang Valley, Kedah<br />
The Bujang Valley extends from Gunung Jerai <strong>in</strong> the north, to the Sungai Muda <strong>in</strong> the south and the<br />
Strait of Melaka <strong>in</strong> the west. Its pr<strong>in</strong>cipal rivers are the Merbok and the Muda, while Gunung Jerai, at<br />
1217 metres, is the highest land form <strong>in</strong> the area. Settlements were located on ridges and natural levees<br />
along the rivers, and on the foothill slopes, while the ma<strong>in</strong> temples were built on elevated land.<br />
The discovery of prehistoric sites at Guar Kepah provides evidence that the k<strong>in</strong>gdom evolved<br />
from local settlements. Presumably, these merged together under a strong leader who established a<br />
landfall port for traders from India and Ch<strong>in</strong>a. Buddhist <strong>in</strong>scription found <strong>in</strong> the valley were proof of<br />
Indian contacts from the 5 th to the 6 th century A.D. As a result of <strong>in</strong>creased trade <strong>in</strong> the Strait of<br />
Melaka, the Bujang Valley developed <strong>in</strong>to a collect<strong>in</strong>g centre for the products of the <strong>Malay</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula,<br />
and by the 7 th century it had evolved <strong>in</strong>to an entrepot (Nik Hassan Shuhaimi & Othman Mohd Yatim<br />
1990).<br />
A lot of beads that have been found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley can be classified as monochrome glass<br />
beads or well known as Indo Pacific beads. Almost 90% of beads discovered from archaeological<br />
excavation are the monochrome glass beads. In 1961, the archaeologist Alastair Lamb discovered<br />
small fragments of glass scrap which could have been used as raw materials for mak<strong>in</strong>g beads <strong>in</strong> the<br />
Bujang Valley. He also found the similar materials at Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak, lead<strong>in</strong>g him to speculate<br />
that beads could have been made on site (Lamb 1961).<br />
Based on this evidence, and the f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g of glass scrap at other Southeast Asia sites, academic<br />
op<strong>in</strong>ion now leans towards a theory of local production, although the exact source of the materials and<br />
the location of the workshop are still unknown. It is assumed that the raw glass materials were<br />
orig<strong>in</strong>ally brought on vessels from Middle East, and were probably off-loaded at the west coast ports of<br />
the <strong>Malay</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula. These landfalls, such as Takuapa, Bujang Valley and Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, were the<br />
first ports of call <strong>in</strong> Southeast Asia, and have yielded the largest f<strong>in</strong>d of beads. They also could be<br />
made from discarded broken glass vessels, but this neither does nor expla<strong>in</strong>s the presence of the raw<br />
glass materials found. Compositional analysis on glass beads <strong>in</strong> Sungai Mas has been taken carried out<br />
and it showed that the Sungai Mas monochrome glass beads produced by local people and not been<br />
brought from India. Bujang Valley became beads mak<strong>in</strong>g centre <strong>in</strong> South East Asia and <strong>in</strong>dependently<br />
produced their own monochrome glass beads <strong>in</strong> 8 th century AD (Zuliskandar & Kamarudd<strong>in</strong> 2008). In<br />
the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g, the beads probably came from India or Thailand.<br />
Among the most popular beads found at <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>n and Southeast Asia archaeological sites are<br />
those known as mutisalah. These are made from opaque, dark red glass, sometimes mistaken for<br />
carnelian, terracotta or coral. This type of beads have been discovered at South Indian megalithic sites<br />
dat<strong>in</strong>g about 200 B.C, and at the ancient trade centre of Arikamedu, where there is evidence of largescale<br />
manufacture. The beads were made at a number of locales until at least the sixteenth century.<br />
These k<strong>in</strong>ds of beads were usually found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley and also <strong>in</strong> Pulau Kelumpang, Perak.<br />
There are also polychrome glass beads found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley and orig<strong>in</strong>ated from India and<br />
Middle Eastern. Alongside the glass beads, several stone beads made from carnelian, quartz, agate,<br />
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crystal and amethyst. Other type of material that had been found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley is made from gold,<br />
wood and terracotta. A lot of stone beads found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley are made from carnelian, agate and<br />
quartz. Several site <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley such as Sungai Mas and Pengkalan Bujang have unearth several<br />
type of stone beads from the site. The stone beads are orig<strong>in</strong>ated from India and Middle Eastern and<br />
probably from Myanmar. In India, carnelian beads were produced on a large scale from about 1500 BC<br />
at the place called Ratanpur near Cambay.<br />
Polychrome glass beads also found <strong>in</strong> various shape and colour <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley. Several types<br />
of polychrome glass beads that can be identified are called ‘eye beads’, Takua Pa Eye <strong>Beads</strong>, Oval Eye<br />
Spot Bead and Bird <strong>Beads</strong>. These beads are orig<strong>in</strong>ated from Middle Eastern, India and local<br />
production.<br />
3.2. Kelumpang Island, Perak<br />
Photo 1: Various types of beads found <strong>in</strong> Bujang Valley<br />
Archaeological excavation <strong>in</strong> Kelumpang Island was firstly done by Evan <strong>in</strong> 1932. Evans named the<br />
sites as Tanjung Rawa, Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak. These sites are known as Pulau Buluh (Bamboo Island)<br />
or Pulau Kulit Kerang (Shell Island) to a few crab catchers, charcoal woodcutters and fisherman who<br />
frequent Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g and Kuala Kelumpang. This settlement was <strong>in</strong> use by the maritime people<br />
between 200BC and about 1400 AD. The people were seafarers accord<strong>in</strong>g to the presence of the bones<br />
of deep sea fish <strong>in</strong> the sites. Contact with an <strong>in</strong>land rice-grow<strong>in</strong>g people also took place, as evidenced<br />
of many rice husks. A f<strong>in</strong>al observation is that the first settlers on Kelumpang Island were a metalus<strong>in</strong>g<br />
people who were at the same stage of cultural development as the makers of the cist graves <strong>in</strong><br />
Changkat Menteri and other sites <strong>in</strong> Perak. The people <strong>in</strong> Kelumpang Island also were traders <strong>in</strong> beads<br />
<strong>in</strong> semi-precious stones and glass.<br />
Thousand of glass and stone beads were firstly reported by Evans dur<strong>in</strong>g his excavation at<br />
Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak (Evans 1928a, 1928b, 1929, 1930, 1932). Several type of stone beads that have<br />
been found <strong>in</strong> Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g are made from carnelian, agate, beryl, sodalite, moldavite, plasma,<br />
jasper, aventur<strong>in</strong>e and quartz cat eye. The orig<strong>in</strong> of the stone beads unearth from Pulau Kelumpang<br />
archaeological sites were not local but have been brought from elsewhere. The stone beads found <strong>in</strong><br />
Pulau Kelumpang were probably <strong>in</strong>troduced either as raw material or as f<strong>in</strong>ished products and could<br />
orig<strong>in</strong>ate from India, Middle East and perhaps Ch<strong>in</strong>a. Beryl, plasma, aventur<strong>in</strong>e and sodalite had been<br />
m<strong>in</strong>ed for centuries <strong>in</strong> India, particularly from Mysore, Coimbatore, Rajasthan and Kashmir. Similarly<br />
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the Middle East countries, particularly Iran and Iraq are well known for produc<strong>in</strong>g sodalite and<br />
aventur<strong>in</strong>e. The Ch<strong>in</strong>ese for ages used plasma and aventur<strong>in</strong>e as jade substitutes. Many of the stone<br />
beads are to be found which unf<strong>in</strong>ished of faulty bored. These <strong>in</strong>dicated that the stone beads had been<br />
manufactured locally. The raw materials are bought elsewhere but the beads are made by the local<br />
people.<br />
A lots of beads found <strong>in</strong> Pulau Kelumpang are made from glass and can be categorized as a<br />
monochrome glass beads or Indo Pacific beads. Many of the beads have been found dur<strong>in</strong>g the survey<br />
and from archaeological excavation. Polychrome glass beads found here are orig<strong>in</strong>ally came from India<br />
and Middle Eastern. A few of this polychrome glass beads were found <strong>in</strong> Pulau Kelumpang. Evans has<br />
suggested that the monochrome glass beads were made locally and some of the beads were brought<br />
from India. The beads that were made locally were those of a deep blue translucent glass, of which<br />
rough pieces are fairly common. No materials have yet been found, it’s likely that the common dark<br />
red and orange opaque beads were not made <strong>in</strong> the Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>.<br />
3.3. Johor Lama and Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi<br />
Photo 2: Collection of beads from Pulau Kelumpang, Matang Perak<br />
Site <strong>in</strong> Johor Lama and Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi have yielded large numbers of glass beads, of which some are of<br />
the characteristic South East Asian types, which parallels at Pengkalan Bujang and Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g and<br />
some rather more exotic and can be classified as a Roman <strong>Beads</strong> (Gardner, 1937). These last divided<br />
<strong>in</strong>to two categories. First, “Roman” types, that is to say type from the Mediterranean of a date, on<br />
typological of uncerta<strong>in</strong> validity, before say, 300 A.D. second, a wide variety of glass beads of a late<br />
nature, either show<strong>in</strong>g ref<strong>in</strong>ed techniques such as mould-blow<strong>in</strong>g and mould-cast<strong>in</strong>g or be<strong>in</strong>g clever<br />
imitations <strong>in</strong> glass of other materials. At Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi and Johor Lama, a collection of glass beads<br />
which imitate amber, jade, carnelian, banded agate and human molar teeth. These clearly represent a<br />
rather sophisticated attempt to exploit the possibilities of the South East Asian bead market (Lamb<br />
1966).<br />
The Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi and Johor Lama assemblages have fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g implications. Associated with<br />
the ceramic found site, the Johor sites are dated about 1450 A.D. The sites are later than Pengkalan<br />
Bujang and Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong> the period of the apogee of Malacca Sultanate, there is sudden<br />
flower<strong>in</strong>g of the beads trade. Perhaps Middle Eastern merchants, who hitherto had merely provided the<br />
raw materials, now were beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to export copies of South East Asian bead type made <strong>in</strong> Middle<br />
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East. By the 16 th century European glass centres like Venice were jo<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> (such is the <strong>in</strong>dication of a<br />
Venetian blown glass beads from Johor Lama).<br />
3.4. Iron-Age Sites <strong>in</strong> Southern Perak and Selangor (Bernam Valley)<br />
In 1936, excavation has been done by H. D Coll<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Slim, Batang Padang District, Perak. This site<br />
is known as a cist grave or slab grave and dated range from 500 B.C to 7 th century A.D. There were<br />
iron implements found <strong>in</strong> the graves <strong>in</strong>clude spearheads and socketed tools typical of other Iron Age<br />
sites <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sular <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>. It is believed that the graves were reserved for elite as iron implements<br />
were reasonably rare and were probably only owned by people of high status. No human rema<strong>in</strong>s were<br />
found <strong>in</strong> the graves, although they were certa<strong>in</strong>ly funerary monuments. Associated f<strong>in</strong>ds of beads and<br />
shards show that the Bernam Valley was one of the most important early settlement centres <strong>in</strong><br />
Pen<strong>in</strong>sular <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>. However, detailed knowledge of the Iron Age communities is still lack<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Various orig<strong>in</strong>s have been posited for this Iron Age culture, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g India, Indoch<strong>in</strong>a and Indonesia,<br />
or it could have been of local orig<strong>in</strong>. Current academic op<strong>in</strong>ion is that the settlement <strong>in</strong> Bernam Valley<br />
was <strong>in</strong>volved with trade via the Trans pen<strong>in</strong>sular route which led to the t<strong>in</strong> ore areas of Perak, the gold<br />
m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g regions of Pahang and the iron ore outcrops on the east coast.<br />
<strong>Beads</strong> found <strong>in</strong> the cist grave consisted of a large carnelian and large crystal stone bead. There<br />
are also monochrome glass beads found <strong>in</strong> the grave which <strong>in</strong> red, bright blue and purple colour. There<br />
are hundred of monochrome glass beads found <strong>in</strong> Bernam Valley, all somewhat irregular <strong>in</strong> size and<br />
shape (Coll<strong>in</strong>gs 1937). The stone and monochrome glass beads found <strong>in</strong> the cist grave at Bernam<br />
Valley were probably from India but local traders from the coast are the people who <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong><br />
trad<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Bernam Valley. Bernam Valley was a place where ancient traders looked for t<strong>in</strong> and forest<br />
goods. It’s not possible that beads trade took place here.<br />
3.5. Bronze Age Site <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
The Bronze Age site <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> located at Kampung Pencu, Muar, Kampung Sungai Lang<br />
and Kelang, Selangor and Pantai Batu Buruk, Terengganu. The earliest site is dated 200 B.C and the<br />
f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs were bronze bell and Dongson Drum associated with beads. The f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dicated that trad<strong>in</strong>g<br />
had took place and the used of bronze products and beads were used as trad<strong>in</strong>g items.<br />
Photo 2: A selection of ‘Roman’ glass beads from Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi, Johor. On the left are balck and white zone<br />
beads. On the right are a chevron bead and a cane bead. These “Roman” beads occur <strong>in</strong> the Johor<br />
sites <strong>in</strong> association with beads of manifestly more recent date. In the context of the Johor sites it<br />
seems reasoble to believe that these “Roman” beads did not reach the Maly Pen<strong>in</strong>sula until 15 th<br />
century at the earliest (Lamb 1966)<br />
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Photo 3: Group of glass beads from Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi, Johor. The two beads on the left are shaped like human<br />
molar teeth. The fourth bead from the left <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tended to imitate a green jade. The hexagonal bead is<br />
of a red moulded glass and clearly meant to resemble carnelian. Third from the right is a glass<br />
imitation of amber. All beads collected by R. Tirot <strong>in</strong> 1963 (Lamb 1966)<br />
Photo 4: A long glass bead imitat<strong>in</strong>g very cleverly banded agate. This specimen was found at Kota T<strong>in</strong>ggi <strong>in</strong><br />
about 1952. (Lamb 1966)<br />
Photo 5: <strong>Beads</strong> of carnelian, rock crystal and glass beads found <strong>in</strong> slab grave <strong>in</strong> Slim River, Perak (Coll<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
1937).<br />
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4. Conclusion<br />
The existences of various types and colour of beads <strong>in</strong> pre-history and proto-history archaeological<br />
sites <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> showed that Pen<strong>in</strong>sula <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> had <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> beads trad<strong>in</strong>g s<strong>in</strong>ce 500<br />
B.C. Local trader have <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational trad<strong>in</strong>g with trader from India, Middle Eastern and<br />
other places <strong>in</strong> South East Asia such as Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. Merchants from India,<br />
Middle Eastern and Indo-Ch<strong>in</strong>a are look<strong>in</strong>g for local commodity such as gold, t<strong>in</strong> and forest goods and<br />
used beads as a barter trade item. Many of Indian merchants <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> beads trad<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula<br />
<strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong> because they are look<strong>in</strong>g for gold, species and forest goods and also we can deny the role<br />
played by merchants from Funan and Southern Thailand because they are look<strong>in</strong>g for t<strong>in</strong> to produced<br />
bronze products. The f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g of Dongson drum and bronze bell associated with beads at Kampung<br />
Pencu, Muar, Kampung Sungai Lang are the proof of trade with Indo-Ch<strong>in</strong>a merchants. In 8 th century<br />
at least Sungai Mas and Pulau Kelumpang had become the beads centres of monochrome glass beads.<br />
This two beads centre then distribute their beads to all South East Asia cont<strong>in</strong>ent. Sungai Mas act as an<br />
entreport while Pulau Kelumpang acted as a feeder port.<br />
References<br />
[1] Coll<strong>in</strong>g, H.D., 1937. “Recent F<strong>in</strong>ds of Iron-Age Sites <strong>in</strong> Southern Perak and Selangor”, Bullet<strong>in</strong><br />
of the Raffles Museum Series B 1(2)<br />
[2] Evans, Ivor H.N., 1928a. “On ancient Rema<strong>in</strong>s from Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak”, Journal of the<br />
Federated <strong>Malay</strong> Museums 12(5).<br />
[3] Evans, Ivor H.N., 1928b. “Further Notes on ancient Rema<strong>in</strong>s from Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak”,<br />
Journal of the Federated <strong>Malay</strong> Museums 12(5).<br />
[4] Evans, Ivor H.N., 1929. “A Further Notes on the Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g Settlement”, Journal of the<br />
Federated <strong>Malay</strong> Museums 12 (7).<br />
[5] Evans, Ivor H.N., 1930. “Notes on recent F<strong>in</strong>ds at Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak”, Journal of the<br />
Federated <strong>Malay</strong> Museums 15 (1).<br />
[6] Evans, Ivor H.N., 1932. “Excavation at Tanjung Rawa, Kuala Sel<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>g, Perak”, Journal of the<br />
Federated <strong>Malay</strong> Museums 15 (3).<br />
[7] Gardner, G.B., 1937. “Ancient beads from Johore River as evidence of an early l<strong>in</strong>k by sea<br />
between <strong>Malay</strong>a and the Roman Empire”, JRAS 3, pp. 467-470<br />
[8] Lamb, Alastair, 1966. “Old Middle Eastern Glass <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Malay</strong> Pen<strong>in</strong>sula”, In Ba Sh<strong>in</strong>, J.<br />
Boisselier and A.B. Griswold (eds.) Essays Offerd to G.H. Luce. Ascona: Artibus Asiae.<br />
[9] Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman & Othman Mohd Yatim, 1990. “Antiquities of<br />
Bujang Valley”, Kuala Lumpur: Museum Association of <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong><br />
[10] Zuliskandar Ramli & Kamarudd<strong>in</strong> Zakaria. 2008. “Kajian Komposisi Manik dan Bahan Manik<br />
Indo-Pasifik yang ditemui di Kampung Sunagi Mas (Tapak 32), Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah”,<br />
Abdullah Zakaria & Jazamudd<strong>in</strong> Baharudd<strong>in</strong> (ed.). Arkeologi dan Sejarah, pp. 95-174. Kuala<br />
Lumpur: Persatuan Muzium <strong><strong>Malay</strong>sia</strong>.<br />
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