Bali, a home to hidden archeological treasures

By I Wayan Juniarta

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): I Made Suardana could hardly catch his breath when he dug up a stone box in front of his house in Gianyar, 15 kilometers south of Denpasar.

A team of archeologists who descended on the man's home in Banjar Sampiang village initially thought it was no different from the ordinary sarcophagus often found in Bali.

But this box, discovered as Suardana prepared to install a septic tank, was an ancient sarcophagus made of soft volcanic stone.

The find left archeologists overjoyed.

Head of Bali's archeological office, Ayu Kusumawati, said: "It was a rare double sarcophagus. This is the first find of its kind and the only one in Indonesia, or probably in the world."

It's unique aspect is its double covers. Inside, there is another smaller sarcophagus in which the archeologists discovered decomposed human remains which made it difficult for further data gathering.

But the rare find has proved Bali is home to numerous prehistory archeological objects.

Another significant burial site was found in an orange grove in the remote Manikliyu village, 89 kilometers west of Denpasar, two years ago.

As 72-year-old I Wayan Suki was about to dig a hole in the grove, his hoe struck a hard object.

Grandfather Suki did not realize that he had uncovered some of the most significant artifacts found in Indonesia. The stone boxes and many other items found at the site in March 1997 presumably date back to the prehistory Bali period (about 2,000 years ago).

A few days later, a number of senior archeologists from the Denpasar archeological office went immediately to the orange grove and started excavating more items. Led by senior archeologist RP Soejono, the team determined important information which could unravel more about the ancient civilization of the island.

In the first week of April 1997, the team uncovered a unique burial site with three different burial systems, with sarcophagi, Nekara (bronze coffins) and unwrapped corpses.

News spread fast about the amazing find. The hilly, quiet village was suddenly filled with crowds of scientists, students, journalists and the curious, including Bangli regent IBGA Ladip.

A villager said: "What a crowd. Our village has never played host to so many important people."

The finds included a 206 cm by 70 cm by 45 cm sarcophagus and a smaller one measuring 172 cm by 69 cm by 47 cm. Both sarcophagi were made of hard volcanic stone in a rectangular shape. The bronze coffins, measuring 120 cm high and 77 cm in diameter, contained a corpse in a seated position. The corpse was adorned with black and yellow beads put around its neck and legs. It also wore four masks and long earrings.

The body was believed to be a man, aged from 25 years to 30 years, from the Mongoloid tribe. His death was apparently caused by a stab to his forehead.

The bones of females were found in other holes but they were not in coffins. Spiraling bronze wires were found on the finger bones and the front part of the skull was covered with a gold head ornament.

Archeologists also found dozens of pieces of earthenware and jewelry made of beads, gold, bronze and metal. The items probably functioned as burial gifts. The experts also found animal bones, particularly from pigs, in the teeth and molars of the dead. It showed that pigs and other animals were eaten and used as ritual offerings by the island's inhabitants.

"All of the findings were important in regard to revealing prehistory era in Bali," said Ayu.

The office's data revealed that about 184 sarcophagi were found scattered in many areas of Bali. In the period from 1962 to 1967, senior archeologist RP Soejono had significant a role in the process of identifying, recording and documenting 87 of the 184 sarcophagi.

The sarcophagi were found in several regencies in Bali, including Gilimanuk, Ambyar Sari, Negara, Batu Agung, Palungan Batu and Munduk Tumpeng villages of Jembrana; the Pupuan, Btingsel, Antapn, Rua and Senganan villages of Tabanan; Badung, Carangsari; the Keramas, Bukian, Patemon, Bakbakan, Abianbase, Uma Anyar, Timbul and Bona villages of Gianyar; Klungkung; Bangli; and Buleleng.

A senior archeologist at the agency, Made Sutaba, explained, "The even distribution zones of burial sites in Bali clearly indicates that over the same period, the island's occupants had adopted an identical belief system and comparable technological skills."

Ayu added that sarcophagus and vessels were usually used in the funeral of people with high social status. The ancient communities believed in the afterlife and the existence of holy spirits which dwelled in mountain peaks. The buried sarcophagi were positioned to face the mountains to respect the holy spirits.

"Some scholars assumed that a sarcophagus was a spiritual boat to ship the deceased into the afterlife," said Ayu.

To protect the dead from evil spirits, their sarcophagus were decorated with various designs and carvings which functioned as protective devices.

"In west Bali, the decorations were in the shape of female genitals. In east Bali, masks with frightening faces were believed to be potential instruments to eliminate dangerous omens and spirits," Ayu said.

Both the prehistory community and modern Bali regard the sarcophagus as a sacred object. The Balinese still believe that the sarcophagus and its contents must be left untouched to respect the spirit of the dead.

Others are afraid the unearthing of the ancient objects would bring harm to them and their communities.

"In some areas such as Susut village, Bangli, and Carangsari, Badung, people put sarcophagi in temples for purification," said Ayu.

Respect shown by the Balinese toward various archeological objects brings positive effects. It could ensure the maintenance and preservation of the items. However, this reverence and fears that tampering with the finds could cause disaster have hampered scientific research and studies into the prehistory era on the island of Bali.

"Up to the present, we have not finished our research and study of the Manikliyu finds. The villagers have prevented us from opening the two sarcophagi," Ayu said.