An analysis of the artefact collections excavated by the Australian-Indonesian Archaeological Expedition to Sulawesi, 1969

Abstract

The historical background to the 1969 Australian- Indonesian Archaeological Expedition to Sulawesi Selatan is outlined and its aims discussed in relation to previous work carried out in the region during the first half of the twentieth century. Archaeological research in this area of Southeast Asia was seen as being relevant to questions in Australian prehistory. The two major sites excavated were Leang Burung 1 (near Maros) and Batu Ejaya (near Bantaeng). The artefacts collected from these sites, which have been lent to the Australian National University by the Republic of Indonesia, form the basis of the following analysis. Leang Burung 1 is considered first. At this site the limestone geomorphology of the Maros area proved to be an important factor in the survival of archaeological material. The artefacts were analysed in classes of six main tool types and waste flakes and cores were examined for additional technological information. Pottery and bone tools are discussed briefly. Batu Ejaya 1 artefacts are analysed in a similar fashion. The data from this site are also considered in relation to the artefacts from the nearby site of Panganreang Tudea, which were excavated in 1937 and are now housed in the Museum Pusat, Jakarta. A sample of artefacts from this collection was examined in Jakarta in 1979. Finally, results of analysis of the collections from Leang Burung 1, Batu Ejaya 1 and Panganreang Tudea are compared with published results from other well documented sites (Ulu Leang 1 and Leang Burung 2) in the Maros region, which are presently the research concern of I.C. Glover. A review of all the sites discussed in this thesis then attempts to set what is known about the prehistory of Sulawesi Selatan in an archaeological sequence which extends into the context of the early proto-history of island Southeast Asia. The implications for the wider region touching Australia are discussed briefly in conclusion. Show more