A note on the discovery of spur-marked yueh-type sherds at Bukit Seguntang Palembang
E. Edwards McKinnon published this brief field note in 1979, reporting the recovery of surface finds of Chinese export ceramics at Bukit Seguntang and Talang Kikim near Palembang, Sumatra, during a June 1978 survey. The article argues that these finds, particularly the spur-marked Yueh-type stoneware sherds dated to the late ninth or tenth century, provide the earliest material evidence for settlement in the Palembang area, helping to close the chronological gap between the seventh-century Srivijayan inscriptions and the well-documented fourteenth- and fifteenth-century remains.
Summary
The note centres on a small assemblage of green-glazed Chinese stoneware sherds recovered from a newly planted ubi field on the lower southeast slope of Bukit Seguntang, near Kampong Bukit Lama. The sherds, displaying two distinct types of kiln-support “spur-marks” on their interior surfaces, are identified as Yueh-type wares of late T’ang to Five Dynasties date (c. 906–960 or slightly earlier). McKinnon situates these finds within a broader comparative framework, drawing parallels with previously published examples from Tanjong Kubor in Sarawak, Brunei, the Prambanan temple complex in Central Java, and the Lubo Tuo site near Baros in west Sumatra. The small quantity of material—probably representing no more than ten or twelve vessels—leads McKinnon to propose that the bowls were likely offering vessels placed at a Buddhist sanctuary on the hill, rather than evidence of dense domestic habitation.
The article extends to a second site, Talang Kikim, approximately two kilometres northwest of Bukit Seguntang, where a mixed assemblage ranging from late Sung and Yuan green-glazed porcellaneous stonewares to Ming-period blue and white wares was found alongside fragments of wafer-like bricks. A separate find of “dusun”-type short-necked green-glazed jars at Talang Kikim, if confirmed as T’ang-period, would further extend the evidence for early Chinese trade contacts in the region. McKinnon also notes the discovery of late Sung or Yuan celadon on a recently constructed footpath near the Sungei Kedukan stream, reinforcing the likelihood that early inhabitants lived directly on the banks of this waterway.
The broader historical problem addressed is the paucity of material evidence for early Malay settlement in the Palembang area. Previous finds from the 1920s and 1930s—including a three-metre Buddha statue now in the Palembang Museum—were poorly documented in terms of precise location, and fifty years of soil disturbance and cultivation have made their original contexts virtually impossible to recover. The new surface finds, while limited in quantity, are significant for establishing a material presence in the area by the tenth century at the latest.
Key Findings
- The Yueh-type sherds from Bukit Seguntang display two types of spur-marks: a ring of ten to twelve triangular marks within the bowl, or five to ten elongated scars on the interior base, both with corresponding marks on the footrim (pp. 40–41).
- The assemblage probably represents no more than ten or twelve vessels, suggesting offering bowls rather than domestic refuse (p. 44).
- Late Sung or Yuan celadon sherds were found on a footpath near the Sungei Kedukan, approximately fifty metres south of the bridge at Kampong Bukit Lama, indicating settlement along the stream (p. 44).
- At Talang Kikim, “dusun”-type short-necked green-glazed jars were recovered, ranging from 30 to 70 cm in height and 30 to 45 cm in diameter, with four to six horizontal loop handles and a wide mouth of 16 cm or slightly more (p. 45).
- The Lubo Tuo site near Baros, which has a Tamil inscription dated AD 1088, has yielded no Lung ch’uan celadon wares, indicating a terminal date in the early to mid twelfth century and providing a useful chronological comparator (p. 43).
- The Talang Kikim assemblage spans from late Sung/Yuan green-glazed porcellaneous stonewares through Vietnamese black-on-white wares to Ming-period Thai Sawankhalok and Chinese blue and white wares (p. 45).
Conclusion
McKinnon concludes that the Bukit Seguntang and Talang Kikim finds, taken together, are helping to close the gap between the known fourteenth- and fifteenth-century remains in the Palembang area and the early Srivijayan inscriptions that first brought the Malay thalassocracy to modern scholarly attention. The evidence points to a settlement of some kind in the vicinity by about the tenth century, most probably situated on the banks of the Sungei Kedukan, consistent with the pattern of lowland Sumatran habitation along river courses.
Context
- The study draws on surface survey data collected during a June 1978 field season by a team from the Indonesian National Institute of Archaeology, with ceramic identifications cross-referenced against published Chinese kiln-site excavations and comparative Southeast Asian assemblages.
- The article contributes to the emerging ceramic chronology of Sumatran trade sites, building on the work of Van Orsoy de Flines (whose planned ceramic survey of Sumatra was forestalled by the Japanese invasion) and the 1974 Palembang archaeological expedition, and situates the Bukit Seguntang finds within the broader pattern of early Chinese export ceramics reaching the Malay world.