Archeological sites' destruction lamented

SEMARANG (JP): An archeologist over the weekend lamented the nationwide destruction of historical sites to make way for industrial projects.

Mundardjito, a lecturer of archaeology and anthropology at the University of Indonesia, said the incidence of sites converted into industrial projects showed that historical sites were considered less important than industrial development, which promises prosperity.

Historical sites are those thought to contain valuable archeological remains that reflect the systems, community and technology of past societies.

According to Mundardjito, only a few historical sites have been properly maintained, such as the Muara Takus Buddha shrine in Riau and a brick shrine in Jambi.

The rest of the historical and prehistorical sites were simply ignored, he said, citing the ancient city of Majapahit in Trowulan, East Java, where a brick industry now flourishes.

A similar fate has befallen the Bukit Kerang prehistorical site on the East Aceh coast, where human bones, shells, remnants of cooking and Hosbinh stone instruments have been discovered but since annihilated because of limestone mining.

"There are many other examples, such as the prehistorical caves of Bojonegoro, East Java, that were turned into an airport and an industrial estate extension," he said.

These examples reflect archeology's helplessness when facing intervention by authorities and development jargon, Mundardjito said in an address to a workshop titled Social Environment Training Methodologies at Diponegoro University in Semarang.

Mundardjito called for a massive cultural preservation campaign to keep up with environmental preservation, especially since archeological data was limited.

"Specifically because information on the topic is very limited, the presence of historical sites must be conserved to gather and record information," Mundardjito said, adding that research and conservation were equally important.

"Archeologists need to conserve historical sites as a part of culture's preservation," he said. (har/14)