Author Topic: Artifacts Recovered from a Metal Age Burial Site in District Ubujan  (Read 3106 times)

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The Analysis of Artifacts Recovered from a Metal Age Burial Site in District Ubujan, Tagbilaran City, Bohol

Information Obtained from: http://www.bohol-archaeology.com

In August 1998 a Metal Age burial site was discovered during a construction project in District Ubujan, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Central Philippines (See Map). The site was destroyed but many of the artifacts were recovered and donated to the provincial museum in Tagbilaran City. This included over 1800 earthenware sherds, 78 earthenware vessels, 130 glass beads, 31 fragments of iron tools, 96 human teeth, and a few glass bracelets and shell and stone artifacts.

In 2000, an extensive analysis was undertaken of these artifacts.  This analysis has provided important information on early trade, technology and traditions in the region. It has revealed that Bohol was an active participant in a regional network of maritime trade during the Metal Age. Numerous foreign goods reached the island including iron tools and glass beads. There was also an active trade in locally or regionally produced Sa-Huyhn Kalanay earthenwares. Furthermore, an analysis of the quantity, quality and variety of grave goods, as well as the type of internment, suggests an overall trend towards variation and elaboration of burial traditions. These results correlate with finding from other Metal Age sites in the Philippines and will provide important data for future comparative studies.

Following is a summary of the analysis which includes: a description of the site; the methodologies used in this analysis; the results of the analysis; and some of the preliminary conclusions.

THE ISLAND OF BOHOL/SITE DESCRIPTION
Bohol is the 10th largest island in the Philippines with a landmass of approximately 4117 sq. km. It is located in the southern part of the Visayan group of islands, with the island of Cebu to the northwest, Leyte to the northeast, and Mindanao to the south (See Map 2). Geologically, much of the island is dominated by limestone, and the southern coastline is fringed by extensive coral reefs and mangroves. The terrain varies significantly with broad valleys and low rolling hills in the north, and more pronounced mountainous terrain dissected by deep gulleys and gorges in the south.

The burial site was located in a small rock shelter on the southwestern coast of Bohol in the Sitio of Kabisi, District of Ubujan, Tagbilaran City  (See Map 3). This region contains extensive underground caverns, and an irregular coastline with steep, rocky cliffs. The rock shelter was situated adjacent to the coastline at an elevation of approximately 5 meters above sea-level.
The burial site was discovered in August 1998 during a construction project on the private property of Mr. & Mrs. Günter Gutknecht. The site was unearthed by laborers hired to construct a swimming pool at their private residence. Unaware of its significance, most of the site was destroyed by the laborers before the property owner was able to halt construction. As a result, the stratigraphy and context of the burial and artifacts were not recorded, but many of the artifacts were recovered and subsequently donated to the local museum where they are currently on display and stored.

METHODOLOGY  
The analysis of the artifacts took place over a three-month period at the Bohol Museum in Tagbilaran City. A detailed inventory was taken of all the recovered artifacts. The majority of the collection consisted of low-fired earthenware sherds. Many of these sherds were large in size and showed fresh breaks as if the vessels were broken during removal from the burial; as a result, some vessels were able to be partially or almost fully reconstructed to their original form. The remaining earthenware sherds were counted, measured, weighed and classified based on stylistic and technological attributes such as sherd type, form, color and firing characteristics. Descriptive-stylistic attributes were based on traits defined by Solheim (1964) and expanded upon by Flavel (1997). Technological attributes were based primarily on classifications developed by Junker (1982).

The 130 glass beads were measured and classified by color, size, form and technology. The form and technological classifications were based on typologies developed by Santiago and Francis (Francis 1989a, 1989b, 1990a, 1990b). The metal tools were classified solely by form. Classifications were based on indigenous tool types, i.e., contemporary local tool forms. Due to the small quantity of shell and stone artifacts, no typological classifications were undertaken on these materials. Some basic data were also collected on the recovered human teeth.
In addition, one of the laborers who unearthed the burial(s) was interviewed to obtain some descriptive information on the stratigraphy and placement of the artifacts in relation to the skeletal remains at the site.

Finally, a comparative approach was used to understand the significance of the artifacts and site within a larger regional context. Published and unpublished research and site reports were reviewed, and numerous museum collections were cross-referenced.

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS    
The inventory of artifacts indicates that the site dates to the Metal Age (400 BC - AD 900). The earthenware forms and styles, as well as the glass beads, bracelets and iron tools are all contemporary to items recovered from other Metal Age sites in the region. Additionally, it lacks any evidence of stonewares or porcelains, which if present, would indicate that the site dates to a later age.

The laborer who was interviewed provided valuable information on the layout of the site. According to him, the human burial was discovered at a depth of about 1 meter and the skeletal remains were surrounded by earthenware pots, glass beads, metal tools, and human teeth. These artifacts appeared to be placed in specific groups. For example, the iron tools were grouped near the feet, most of the pots were located at the right side of the body, and the footed vessels were located above the head. Somewhat deeper, at what may have been another cultural level, a few additional artifacts were recovered, including a few more earthenware vessels, glass beads and human teeth. This suggests that most of the artifacts were contemporary, but some may have dated to a slightly earlier period.

Due to the destruction of the site, it is not clear how many burials were represented, but we know that there was at least one extended burial and probably some associated jar burials. This interpretation is based on the recovery of the skeleton of an adult as well as human teeth from individuals as young as 3-4 years old up to adult. Some of the jars were probably used for burials, as secondary jar burials were a common practice in this region at the time, and teeth were commonly interred as part of this ritual.

Similar artifact types are found in other Metal Age burial sites throughout the Philippines, most notably, similar pottery forms and styles. These common elements include round-bottomed pots with carinations (angles), and bowls on ring feet or pedestals, often with cut-outs and perforations. The lips of vessels are also sometimes scalloped or notched. These are all stylistic and decorative elements of the Sa-Huynh Kalanay pottery tradition. Elements of this tradition are also noted throughout many areas of Island Southeast Asia suggesting that there was a widespread pottery industry and trade network at the time. A preliminary petrographic analysis of a small sample of the recovered sherds further confirms this interpretation.  It appears as if a wide variety of clay sources were being utilized, originating from different geographic sources.  A more detailed petrographic analysis may be able to help identify more precisely the geological origin of the clay sources and/or origin of the pots.

Several unique vessels were noted which may indicate a local tradition or the work of an individual potter. One was a small flat-bottomed, narrowed-mouth jarlet, approximately 10 cm high, and with a mouth diameter of 2.1 cm.  There were also two quadrapods (four-legged vessels), which are only documented from one other site in the Philippines, the Kalanay site in Masbate (Solheim 1964). Quadrapods have also been sporadically noted at other Southeast Asia sites, e.g., in Sulawesi (Callenfels 1951).

Some other important artifacts at the site included iron tools, glass beads and two fragments of glass bracelets. The beads were all monochrome, predominately red and yellow. They were manufactured using two different technologies; some were wound and some were drawn. Drawn beads are generally identified as being manufactured in the Indo-Pacific region, while wound beads are usually identified as Chinese (Francis 1990a, 1990b). One bead that stood out in the collection was a 14-sided opaque orange glass bead, 10 millimeters in diameter. It may have been modeled after the more common faceted carnelian beads from India. Similar glass beads have been noted in other areas of Southeast Asia, such as the site Oc-Eo in Vietnam (Malleret 1951), but overall, they are relatively rare.

The glass bracelet fragments are triangular in cross-section. One fragment is an opaque orange glass, and the other an opaque brick-red. Similar bracelet forms are known from Cambodia, Vietnam and Taiwan. The metal tools were made of iron, and included forms that resembled knives, daggers, chisels and bolos.

In summary, the inventory of artifacts included 78 earthenware vessels, over 1800 sherds, 130 glass beads, 31 iron implements, 96 human teeth, 2 fragments of glass bracelets, a few shell and stone artifacts, and some fragmented osteological remains.

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