Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

HangPC2 · 7th September 2014, 11:41 AM

[color=Black]AN ECONOMICALLY-BASED CIVILISATION

Three of the mounds excavated from 2009-2010 reveal evidence of an iron smelting industry. Beside thousand of pieces of iron ore and iron slag, there is also a large number of clay pipes (known as tuyere in French) which were apparently used to blow air into the iron smelting furnaces.

The evidence seems to confirm information found in Arabic records (Hoyland and Gilmour, 2006; Krenkow, 1936; Rahman, 1955, 1959) and Tamil literary works (Nilakanta Sastri, 1938, 1949; Thani Nagayam, 1986). In these records, two early Muslim scholars, Al-Kindi and Al-Biruni mentioned the importance of iron from Kalah ( Bujang Valley in Arabic). Of Al-Kindi’s three categories of ancient or fine quality swords, the best were said to come from Yemen, Qalai (Kalah) and Hindi. Al-Kindi also mentioned that in the mid 3rd to 10th centruy CE, the traveller Misar Ibn Muhalhil identified Kalah as the place where the Kalah sword were made. Al-Biruni’s study of iron mentioned ' shaburqan ' (hard iron) swords called Qala, named after Kalah, the place where raw material came from, “ you hear a ring from Qala, but a harsh tone from anything else ”.

The Tamil poem Pattinappalai from classical Cankam period (200 BCE-200 CE) and Tamil epic Parunkhatai (10th Century CE) also mentioned iron from Bujang Valley. The Tamil poem refers to the import of kazhakaththu akkam at the seaport of Pukar on the east coast of India. The Tamil word kazhakam refers to a place located in the northernwestern part of Malay Peninsula, which was also known as Kataram, or Kataha in Sanskrit. Khazhakam, as place name is apparently a derivation from Tamil root word Kazh, which signifies ‘ iron ’ (black). Another Tamil epic, Parunkhatai, composed by Kongkuvelir in the 10th century CE, refers kataraththu irumpu which mean iron from Kataram, which was one of several kinds of material which is said to have been used in the making of the chariot in which the Princess Vacavathaththai made her journey to the city of Jayanthi.

Thus, the latest archaeological findings concerning the existence of an iron-smelting industry at Sungai Batu from the 1st to the 4th centuries CE, and the Arabic and Tamil records apparently support and confirm one another. Therefore, the Sungai Batu civilisation complex was clearly a sophisticated society where the economy was based primarily on the iron industry. In short, the new evidence indicates that the Sungai Batu civilisation developed on an economic base.

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Dept of National Heritage (2011) “ Bujang Valley and Early Civilisation in Southeast Asia. ”

7th September 2014, 11:41 AM	#5
HangPC2 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 64	[color=Black]AN ECONOMICALLY-BASED CIVILISATION Three of the mounds excavated from 2009-2010 reveal evidence of an iron smelting industry. Beside thousand of pieces of iron ore and iron slag, there is also a large number of clay pipes (known as tuyere in French) which were apparently used to blow air into the iron smelting furnaces. The evidence seems to confirm information found in Arabic records (Hoyland and Gilmour, 2006; Krenkow, 1936; Rahman, 1955, 1959) and Tamil literary works (Nilakanta Sastri, 1938, 1949; Thani Nagayam, 1986). In these records, two early Muslim scholars, Al-Kindi and Al-Biruni mentioned the importance of iron from Kalah ( Bujang Valley in Arabic). Of Al-Kindi’s three categories of ancient or fine quality swords, the best were said to come from Yemen, Qalai (Kalah) and Hindi. Al-Kindi also mentioned that in the mid 3rd to 10th centruy CE, the traveller Misar Ibn Muhalhil identified Kalah as the place where the Kalah sword were made. Al-Biruni’s study of iron mentioned ' shaburqan ' (hard iron) swords called Qala, named after Kalah, the place where raw material came from, “ you hear a ring from Qala, but a harsh tone from anything else ”. The Tamil poem Pattinappalai from classical Cankam period (200 BCE-200 CE) and Tamil epic Parunkhatai (10th Century CE) also mentioned iron from Bujang Valley. The Tamil poem refers to the import of kazhakaththu akkam at the seaport of Pukar on the east coast of India. The Tamil word kazhakam refers to a place located in the northernwestern part of Malay Peninsula, which was also known as Kataram, or Kataha in Sanskrit. Khazhakam, as place name is apparently a derivation from Tamil root word Kazh, which signifies ‘ iron ’ (black). Another Tamil epic, Parunkhatai, composed by Kongkuvelir in the 10th century CE, refers kataraththu irumpu which mean iron from Kataram, which was one of several kinds of material which is said to have been used in the making of the chariot in which the Princess Vacavathaththai made her journey to the city of Jayanthi. Thus, the latest archaeological findings concerning the existence of an iron-smelting industry at Sungai Batu from the 1st to the 4th centuries CE, and the Arabic and Tamil records apparently support and confirm one another. Therefore, the Sungai Batu civilisation complex was clearly a sophisticated society where the economy was based primarily on the iron industry. In short, the new evidence indicates that the Sungai Batu civilisation developed on an economic base. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dept of National Heritage (2011) “ Bujang Valley and Early Civilisation in Southeast Asia. ”