Reconstruction of the late first millennium AD harbor site of Sembiran and analysis of its tradeware

Date

2020-05-01

Authors

Calo, Ambra
Moffat, Ian
Bulbeck, Francis David
Dupoizat, Marie France
Simyrdanis, Kleanthis
Walker, Chester P.
Bawono, Rochtri Agung
Prasetyo, Bagyo

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract

The site of Sembiran on the northern coast of Bali was an important trading harbor with demonstrated intensive links to the Indian subcontinent, the Western Indian Ocean, and Mainland Southeast Asia between the second century BC and the second century AD. Using a combination of excavation and geophysical survey, we have newly mapped a dense network of subsurface structures, which we interpret to be foundations for harbor infrastructure dated to the eighth to ninth centuries AD that were subsequently covered by shoreline aggradation. An assemblage of eighth to twelfth centuries AD Chinese tradeware in dated contexts from our excavations of these shoreline structures and additional trenches further inland suggests a renewal in trade activities at Sembiran, coinciding with the growth of Chinese maritime trade in Island Southeast Asia.

Description

Keywords

Historical archeology, trans-Asiatic trade networks, sub-surface electrical resistivity tomography, Tang Chinese tradeware, Bali

Citation

Ambra Calo, Ian Moffat, David Bulbeck, Marie France Dupoizat, Kleanthis Simyrdanis, Chester P. Walker, Rochtri Agung Bawono & Bagyo Prasetyo (2022) Reconstruction of the late first millennium AD harbor site of Sembiran and analysis of its tradeware, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 17:1, 152-169, DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2020.1749194

Source

Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology

Type

Journal article

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Restricted until

2099-12-31