Bali, a home to hidden archeological treasures

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.