So baca dulu kalau rajin. Saya sambung selepas quote ini.
Malaysian dig reveals ancients were high-tech
Uncovered remnants of an iron smelt dating back some 1,700 years
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Excavations at a site in northern Malaysia have uncovered the remnants of an iron smelt dating back to the third or fourth century A.D., a find that shows the area's early people were more advanced than previously thought, an archaeologist said Friday.Parts of a furnace used to heat iron and a structure believed to be a house or storage area were found in northern Kedah state, an area that was once home to the Bujang Valley people, said Mokhtar Saidin, the director of the Center for Archaeological Research Malaysia at the University of Science Malaysia. He is in charge of the excavation.
He said a lab in Florida carbon dated some of the material taken from the ancient site and found the sample was about 1,700 years old. He said the margin of error for the test was 40 years.
"This result ... really shows that the Bujang Valley people during that time were very high-tech," Mokhtar said.Mokhtar said archeologists found iron rods, debris and a nozzle to pump air inside the furnace. They also discovered beads, copper bracelets and pottery at the site.
He said the findings were "totally different" from earlier discoveries of temples in the area, which did not reveal much about the daily life and commerce in the area.
Other than the Hindu and Buddhist temples that have been uncovered, little is known about the people of the Bujang Valley. There is even debate over whether they were an actual civilization.
Harry Truman Simanjuntak, a researcher at the National Research Center of Archaeology in Jakarta who was not involved in the dig, said the dating of the iron smelt to the third or fourth century appears reasonable.
But he cautioned that more evidence must be unearthed before concluding the Bunjang Valley people were an actual civilization, defined by complex hierarchical social and other structures.
"It's too early to say it is a civilization," he said.
Mokhtar argues the Bujang people are a civilization because temples imply a social structure.
Mokhtar said archeologists still had to excavate about 30 other mounds, which were mapped out in a 2007 survey of the area. He said he expected work on the two current sites to take three more months. After that another two mounds may be excavated this year.
Of course I am not well versed in the ways of Bujang Valley histories and archaelogicals 'thingamajits'. So maybe that is a big thing in SE Asia? But if the people from Bujang Valley come or their cultural and religious views originates from India, then it would not be too far to assume that knowledge of iron used also travels here la kan.
Though I am also very amused when the Indonesian researcher asking the Malaysia's archaelogy director to not reach to a hasty conclusion that Bujang Valley can be constitute as a civilization.
Kinda like
" Eh so you got Bujang Valley and found iron. Big deals. Not a real civilization pon ok. Bukan macam Majapahit atau Srivijaya yang gah itu. "
And the Malaysia goes like
" Yes, it is!"
But like I said. Aku hanya noobs who only have a glimmer of interest in archaelogy. What do I know on the discovery of iron that date back to 1700 years ago or if Lembah Bujang is really a tamadun. Come to think of it I am kinda hazy if during History secondary schools, did the textbooks refer to it as tamadun or not.
Comments
Peru archeologist was digging far deeper and found plastic, which they then conclude that more than 100 years ago..human technologies have advance much that they have plastic...
then came malaysian archeologist digging deeper to 500 mtrs and found none. The only conslusion made was....
500 years ago, human advancement in technology were so advance that they alreaday have wireless technology..
i loled
They should highlight that it was a first in Malaysia and not focused so much on whether Bujang Valley can be called high tech and civilization which is simply... needs more evidence.
But does a large scale of habitation meant Bujang Valley civilization or part of other civilization or just kampung that seems to have a lot of temples. Huhuhu. The last question is interesting. I used to think it was a local settlement that was Indianized.