Residents of Wonoboyo Village, Klaten, Central Java were astounded by\nthe discovery of 16 kilogrammes of gold by a farmer named Cipto\nSuwarno.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred in 1990. Whilst working his rice field, Cipto\nSuwarno discovered several gold items buried beneath the soil. For more\nthan a week, he excavated his agricultural land. He dug from morning\nuntil sunset, using a medium-sized spade. The area of soil excavated was\ncountless during his work, unaware that hidden treasure awaited\nbeneath.<\/p>\n
He simply wanted irrigation water to enter his rice field as it once\nhad. Understandably, a nearby project had disrupted the land\u2019s contours.\nHowever, on Wednesday 17 October 1990 whilst digging at a depth of 2.5\nmetres, Suwarno\u2019s hand suddenly stopped.<\/p>\n
The tip of his spade abruptly touched something hard. Initially, he\nthought it was merely a stone and pushed it aside. However, when the\nhard object was lifted, he was startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cGold, gold, goldd!!!\u201d Suwarno cried out.<\/p>\n
He was astonished to discover the hard object was not a stone, but a\nceramic jug wrapped in gold. A crowd quickly gathered. In the presence\nof village officials, he continued excavating and discovered a fantastic\ntreasure: 16 kilogrammes of gold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen detailed, the discovered items comprised a bulging bowl, 6 bowl\ncovers, 3 ladles, 1 tray, 97 bracelets, 22 bowls, a tobacco pipe, a\nlarge jug, 2 small jugs, 11 rings, 7 plates, 8 ear ornaments, a handbag,\na keris, beads, and coins,\u201d as recorded by Tempo (3 November 1990).<\/p>\n
Suwarno\u2019s discovery was subsequently recorded in history as the\nWonoboyo Treasure, later considered the largest archaeological gold\ndiscovery in history.<\/p>\n
Archaeologists concluded that all the treasure originated from the\nlate 9th to mid-10th century. This conclusion was based on the form of\nthe gold items matching that era. Inside the gold bowl there was a\nRamayana relief. Furthermore, the gold coins bore the inscription\n\u201cSaragi Diah Bunga.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regardless of when and where the treasure originated, the Wonoboyo\nTreasure can indicate how Javanese people during the ancient kingdoms of\nthe 9th and 10th centuries, whether elite or common folk, used gold in\ntheir daily lives. Even long before that period.<\/p>\n
Ancient Javanese Society\u2019s Fondness for Gold<\/p>\n
Gold was indeed easily and cheaply obtainable in antiquity.\nConsequently, this precious item became embedded in the lives of ancient\nJavanese society.<\/p>\n
Various records show that during the Majapahit era (1293-1527 CE),\nfor example, nobles often possessed gold in large quantities. Various\nitems were gold-plated, from carriages to fans.<\/p>\n
Additionally, as explained by Stuart Robson in Desawarna by Mpu\nPrapanca (1995), the kingdom of Daha, which was contemporary with\nMajapahit, had similar habits. He highlighted the habit of the Raja of\nDaha\u2019s daughter who frequently used gold-plated carriages.<\/p>\n
Then, archaeologist Slamet Mulyana in Menuju Puncak Kemegahan (2012),\nrecounted how gold became a coveted item during the Majapahit era as\nwritten by Empu Prapanca in Nagarakertagama. \u201cHe wanted to be like empu\nWinada who aspired to accumulate much money and gold,\u201d wrote Prapanca,\nas retold by Slamet Mulyana.<\/p>\n
The enthusiasm for collecting gold was also not merely for\naesthetics, but also for commercial transactions. Erwin Kusuma in Uang\nIndonesia: Sejarah dan Perkembangannya (2021) notes that ancient\nJavanese society commonly used gold in commercial transactions in the\nmarket. However, transactions through gold were used on a large scale,\nsuch as the buying and selling of land, not for market transactions.<\/p>\n
The connection between Javanese society and gold frequently attracted\nthe attention of foreign explorers. When visiting Java, Chinese\nexplorers were astonished to see the kings living luxuriously. As\nnarrated in Nusantara\u2019s Catatan Tionghoa (2009), the Chinese explorers\nsaw gold scattered around the king. Even during meals, they used gold\nutensils.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, European explorer Tome Pires in Suma Oriental (1944) also\nstated the same. When visiting Java in 1513, he saw a very wealthy\nJavanese king. His appearance from head to toe was entirely adorned with\ngold. Even his guards and pets wore gold necklaces and bracelets.<\/p>\n
Despite their fondness for gold, they could not obtain it on the\nisland of Java. Therefore, to acquire it, residents typically imported\ngold from Sumatra, an island known as the \u2018Golden Paradise.\u2019 Or they\ncould obtain it from India.<\/p>\n
Over time, the custom of using gold continued. However, with the\ncollapse of the ancient kingdoms and the emergence of colonialism, a\nchange in lifestyle occurred. At that point, gold jewellery became\nburied treasure. The item lay buried beneath unknown ground, continuing\nto be the object of treasure seekers\u2019 desire.<\/p>\n
Until finally, kingdom gold was discovered on a large scale in\nWonoboyo. The Wonoboyo Treasure was subsequently stored in the National\nMuseum, Jakarta.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sensation-farmer-discovers-16-kilogrammes-of-gold-whilst-working-in-rice-field-1773489138", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }