Antiquities of Malaya. Part I
R.J. Wilkinson’s “Antiquities of Malaya. Part I” is a brief guide to potential archaeological sites in Singapore and Johore, drawing primarily on G.P. Rouffaer’s 1921 papers in Bijdragen and Wilkinson’s own field observations.
Summary
The article is organized into two sections. For Singapore, Wilkinson lists three categories of potential antiquities: the old moat on Fort Canning, remains of a temple, tomb, or palace on the same hill, and the stones associated with the legend of Ranjuna Tapa from the Malay Annals (p. 289).
For Johore, Wilkinson provides a more detailed itinerary of sites along the Johor River and its tributaries, including Tanjong Surat, Johor Lama, Panchur (with its batu anting-anting stones attributed to Achehnese visitors), Bukit Sungai Tukal (site of a Portuguese fort after 1587), Bukit Seluyut, Batu Sawar, Makam Tauhid, Pasir Raja, and Kota Tinggi (with its cemeteries of former sovereigns and Bendaharas) (pp. 289–290). The article concludes with the Lenggiu or Glang-kiu country, where Wilkinson identifies the discovery of the old black-stone fort of Lenggiu — taken by a Chola king and known to the author of the Sejarah Melayu — as “all-important” if it can be made, while noting that Gangga-negara (Bruas) is more accessible and may also yield inscriptions (p. 291). Wilkinson notes that much of the relevant land had been cleared for Japanese rubber estates, and that without government and local scholarly interest, such antiquities risk being lost (p. 289).