hak cipta terpelihara © 1977 persatuan sejarah...

Hak Cipta Terpelihara © 1977 – Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia


ANC IENT FINDS FROM KAJ\fPONG J ENIlERAM IIIU R

by

Lco n,l.! Sau Heng J ;ah~un~1lnh Unh'tnitiMallYli

Chance finds of archaeological artefacts have always pl ayed an important pan in the discovery o f several prehistoric si tes in West Malaysia. In a country where dc\·ela pment is taking place at a rapid rate: activities ranging from the dearing of land fOf cultivation, co nstruction works, mining, etc h ave helped un cover fOf us many of the secrets of our pa.H. But o ften , sad ly enough, a great deal of these relics went unrecognised and sub· sequent ly many si tes arc believed to have been permanently lost to us. Nonetheless there arc also instances when such finds did not go un· noticed.

In the vicinity of Kampong Jcndcram Hilir. G kilometers from the nearcst 'pckan ' at Dcngkil and some 40 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. the sighting of 'unusual objects' w~re noted b)' some workers not long after tin mining acti\;ties commenced in the region during the early seventies. On several occassions workers from the three open·cast hydraulic mining concerns there came across during their mining processes numerOllS bits of pottery sherds , odd looking stone objects, wooden paddles, and other metal artefacts. These were no t mere surface finds. They came from a depth ranging from at kast 5 meters to over 9 meters below tlte present ground le\·el. Howe\'er, neither did the 'strangeness' of th e

38

objects nor the great depth from which the )' were found struck a notc in the minds of their early finders. A few workcrs however had bothered to collect some o r the more intcrest ing objects. Much credit therefore goes to th ese early co ll ectors for their initiativc in recovcring the artefac ts.

Through the effort s of Encik Mohd. Yusuf bin Said. Encik Ramli bin Riehm, and Enel k Mahel. Moktar wc arc thus ab le to havc our fiTS! glimpsc of the prehistoric past in the vicini ty of the present Kam· pong J enderam Hilir o f Sepan$!; district.

The cultural inventory from this carl)' collection includes a cord marked earthernwarc pot (whok, sec plate I ), a large quanti· ty of potta), shercls. some woonen paddles (p late 2). and nUmero us stone artefacts such as stone adze heads of sevcral quadrangul ar adzes (featuring the beaked Iypes as well, sec plate 3). of a sma ll shouldered adze (fig. 1), one specimen of a large oval shaped slate axe head, one Slone imp lement of a type similar to that often referred to as a 'Tembelin g knife', I :Uld seve ral pieces or polishing stones of granit e material for the manuracture of stone 10015 (plate 4) , and several pil'ces of round granitc stones found often togethcr with flat ish

\. M.W.F. Tw~d". "Tht SlOne: ~ in t.~. y~". JMHRAS. \'01. 26(2). 19~'. pp. '7·'8.



PlJJu 2: 1I'00dj'n paddlu: uDj'rai 0/ Ilr.n, 1r.1l~ bun /ovnd in Ilr.t '"tIL

39



stones of the same material (plate 5). The former are anvil stones for pot-making while the latter are working surfaces for pot-making. Also featured in the inventory are metal artefacts such as bronze bowls (plate 6) and several pieces of solid tin ingots (plate 7).

Based on these finds alone one can see the great significance of the area as a potentially major archaeological site in the Selangor state. Located on a flood plain not very far from the present confluence of the Sungai Langat and the Sungai Semenyih, the area was first occupied in the late Neolithic2

times by a people who were actuaJly making their own stone implements and polishing some of them. Local manufacture of stone tools can be inferred from the presence of several polishing stones for grinding and sharpening as well as polishing the tools, pieces of unfinished quadrangular adze heads still showing the rough flaking, and a large blank for the manufacture of such adzes (see plate 3, bottom specimen).

These early inhabitants also made their own pottery. This is evidena:d by the presence of severa1 sets of anvil stones and granite slabs. Apparent ly, their pots were made by the paddle·anvil method (anvil marks can be seen on the inner surfaces of some of the sherds). Very often the paddle was wrapped with cords as the majority of the sherds. including the specimen of the above mentioned unbroken pot3 bear cord-impressed patterns on the body of the vessel.

The single specimen of a Tembeling type knih: found in the region may suggest some kind of

40

agricultural activities." Although there is still insufficient evidences to support the contention that the implement is a harvesting knife of some kind, it is something to bear in mind in particular when one takes into consideration the fact that the site is situated on a flood plain. Some pollen analysis study in the region will perhaps be able to throw further light on this aspect of the economic activities of these lowland dwellers in the prehistoric past. However, it suffices to say for the moment that typologically this type of stone implement is rare and are only known to have been found in the region of the Sungai Ternbeling particularly at Nyong. The occurence of this type of stone implement in the \~cinity of the middle reaches of the Sungai Langat strongly suggests some kind of contacts - probab ly through river routes and mountain tracks across the main range - with the hinterland of Pahang.

2. The term 'laiC nC'Olilhic' here isuled ina broad ,enK to delCf"ibe put e\llture/ OJlturel who..: rn.lCTW remailU an reprelCTltcd rn.inly by non-metal utcfaeu; wood, .tone, bone, and ..,mclimcs anllCTs were the malerial anployed for the nanufaclure of their tools, WUpolU and othCT anefacu. Koowkdce of metals mi&hl have been known but un,ge of melal wu 1101 widespread.

3. This is one of the pujor rUldl of Eneik Mohd. YUNf bin Said, The pot WlII acquired for my resan:h purpoSCI by a vi.lling Guman archaeologist, Dr, Magdekne von Dewal~ when we firll visited the ,ite logelha. A,requested by her thit pot togelhCT wilh hCT other acqui.itiolU which include two lin incoll and a boal paddle will be prcKnlM 10 Ihe ~tuKUm Senl Asia, UnNeniti Mal.aya on the complelion of my resc.arch. I bla howcver abo loaned the pot 10 an AUIIrali.an geolasiJl who hold rcquClled it for his geological .tudiCl (d. footnole 10).

4. Tweedk, 01'. 61.. p. 37 and p. 61.



o I I

I

FiL. 1: SII",..Id",nJ Adu from K.mp ..... latdnom II,S. (dine' tRICi", from tM ACtu_lPuimert)

PI4.,J: a-d,."",,",odulit/ld~of...mOVJri.:tJ BOlio," ,IIOUlIIII bumlt fro ... which IVell adUS"'tT, mlldl.

41



The fact that these neolithic folks did a great deal of traveUing o r at least had contacts with their conu:mporaries in the other areas especially in the northern region of the Peninsula is further corro· borated by a shouldered adze specimen found by Encik Ramli bin Ridun. TIle adze is typologically diagnostic; it is the fifth known case of such distinctive adze type found in the country. Four other examples ha\'e been found in the north - from the Tembeling region in Pahang and from the Baling district of Kedah. s Aho of interest to note here is the lithic material used in this Jenderam lIilir specimen. The adze is made of chert, a material which is different from that used in the numerous quadrangular adze heads found in the area. The latter an: all made from hornfels, a rock material commonly used f~r fashioning tools by the neolith ic people. Stone artefacts of chert on the other hand arc also known to occur in archaeological sites in the north -in Perlis at Bukit Tengku umbu, in Kedah at the Baling district, and in Pahang in the Ulu Telom district.'

Apart from the above mentioned finds the site at Kampong Jenderam Hilir has also yielded artefacts of a later period. These include ceramic wares, a cdadon bowl of Lung Chuan type and a small stoneware jar still bearing some traces of its glaze (plate 8) as well as metal objects such as bronze howls and tin ingou. '7

The ceramic finds are Chinese export wares. These belong to the historical period. Both ceramic types have their counterparts (and in far greater abundance) in another

42

riveribe site further up north at Pengkalan Bujang in Kedah.' These can be da ted from the 12 th 10 the early 13th century.'

It is not possible at this stage of my early analysis to date the metal finds. The bronze howls recovered from the site, however, are com· parable in shape to two othe r hemispherical bronze bowls found in another archaeological site which 1 was actual ly working on before I came to know of the Jenderam Hilir finds. IO This site, situated in the vicinity of Kampong Sungai Lang, is only some 24 kilometers from Kampong Jenderam Hilir (see fig. 2). It is likewise located dose to the present course of the Sungai Langa!. There are very strong reasons here to suspect some rela· tionship between the t\\l0 sites. II

~. cf.ibid.. p.U.

6. ~id .• pp.28.'1. 7. Ille wooden p~dICJrcco .. ered from the

arn may 1110 belong to the lata period. 1I0wcver unlillrccicvcresuluof the radio carbon dltinc of th~ q>ccimeru it b not pou:ilk to ucribc thern to a neoUdu.:: Of

polt·neolithlcpcriod.

8. d. A. Lamb., RQQrch It Pmckalan 8I.tiant:. A ptdiminary report, n.U n .... V1(1961),pp.21.'7.

9. Leo~ Sail lie,.: A Study of ttnmIc depoliu from Pencblan BII~ Kedah M.A. thnu IUbmined to the Unn-cniti Malaya. 197-'.

10. I ~I Informed of the lite by Mr. Brian B.l!ehelor who had liso notified the MIIJCUOl Neg ...... Mr. &tc:hclor, • Pb.d Itlldent o f the Grolo(y dept. of Univcniti ~b.Laya. ...... conduainc some leoJorkai lIudic, in the tin mini,.. area thue when he camc: aaou lOme ardlacoJorical artefadl lhown to him by tbe mine workn ..

II. MeLa! analYlu by ekcuon miaoprobe and atomic ablOrplion .pccuomctric method. arc pretently bein( carried out on thCle bronn rmd. and the aTChatOloJi.cal (bronn) find. from KamPOI\( Sunpi La,. u weU u thote from the Klal\( rqion.



Pl4u j: StU o/rovnd "rWU' rtonu mtltz.tiJlI d41bsfor POI-fflllA~ 11stu au of trtl1liu 11141n-id

43



The tin ingots fTom Kampong Jenderam Hilir are solid plain ingots weighing between 2~ to 3 kilogranu. These come in the shape of a truncated pyramid on a squaTe platform. The height is between 7 to 8 cm. The base measures llcm x II em. The square apex is 4.7cm x 4.7cm.

Tin ingots of various shapes, lome comparable to the Jenderam Hilir types have been known to occur in many parts of the country. These arc ohen refem=d to a~ 'tin·hat money' 01' 'tampang",12

When tin ingots first came into usc in this countTY either, as a form of currency or as expoTt commodity, is an open question. It is however generally held that the rolid ingots arc much older than the hoUow ones. 1l The earliest record we know concerning tin ingots is an early 15th century account by Ma Yuan which mentions solid tin ingots being used as a form of currency in the Malacca Sultanate.14 The tradition of such usage could well date further back in time.

Apart from this question of chronology nothing certain is known of the provenan~s of many of these tin-hat money found in th~ Peninsula since mOll1 of these are loose finds. IS In these respects the tin ingots found in the vicinity of KampongJenderam Hilir, therefore , may be considered to bear immense research \'alue. Here they have been recovered from a region rich in alluvial tin deposits that can be easily worked. It is apparent that these tin ingots reprelCnt the end· products of some tin mining actio vities in the past. At this point I would like to draw attention to the

existence of a large collection of extn:mely charred (on the outside surfaces) pottery sherds that I have collected from the area. These arc sherds from thick and coarsely tempered wares, It appears that these wares had been subjected to some sort of 'industrial' use. At the present stage of my investigation we cannot know when this on-thcspot smelting of tin into ingots was pTactised. 16

However, something may be said on the terminus ad quem for the dating of these tin ingots. This is dcrived from Telative dating based on the ceramic evidences from the area. So far no blue·and·whllc porcelain finds have been known to occur in the area; on the other hand my studies bf the cdadon bowl and

12.. for. diJcusaion on tbe history and d",·~

Iopmcnt of ti~hat monel" K"C William Shaw and MoM, Kaaim Haji Ali: nn '/l .. ,' lINl_itoI4:IMtnIIY. KQ}a Lu.mlNr, 1970.

IS, The hollow type of 'lampalll' WH nill in u..: in Paharc .1 bte H the mid 19th century.

14. Shaw and MoM. Kaalm H.p Ali, op. tit., p.2.

I ~ One .poccimcn of tin il1lOt hal betn feponcd to ha~ bftn reeovo::red fTom Petallnc- Hown" th"e WII JOmt CO~ fudon of labt:iI .n.ched to the lpecimcn and that of amtha tin maot. cr. W. linehan, "Ancknt tin qotl in the: Pnak Mutalm", IMBRAS, 24(S). 19'5. and ILL. Col"bcll. ''On Ancient tin qou in the Pcnk M~eum", IMBIUS. 26(1), 19!1'pp.22'·224.

16. From my perlonal communication with Ihe tin mine worken who had found the tin Inrou (0,,"" SO is H"pOt1edly fccovaed from the &rCa) thelle came from vay dnp kvl:b In the mine .. almo" at tbe bedrock leveL HoweYa" one Qnnot pbco:: too much cmphui. on this Una: thelle tin Iocou Wtte found dW"u. minlnf proo:ue.; beu. compUltkdy wry much bnvi.c:l than mo.t of the cultural material ~eoV(:fnt from the depo.it thelle ob;ceu miaht have fallcnfromthcirutuallcveb.



Pl4t, 7; Solidt;II~OtJ.,to,,",dfrom tll,mi1ln, 110", In, commolll)o ."0"," G.I ti'WHIt morN)' or' T4mpoII,',

45



Fit. '2: Af.p show,,., Lontion of the Kampu", Jendnam Ifili, site.

46



the: stone:ware: jar have: founn the:m 10 be similar to some spe:cimens found at Pe:ngkalan Bujang in Ke:dah. 1 have: ascribe:d the:se: to a period betwe:e:n the: 12th to the e:arly 13th ce:ntury. I am much tcmpted to say that the:se tin ingots belong to a pcriod not late:r than the 14th ce:ntury and that the: are:a around the: pre:sent Kampong Jenderam I·Hlir mi~ht once have been a feeder point to the entrepot al Pcngkalan Bujang.

The picture of the: past that 1 have sketched above is mere ly a fragmentary one. No d oubt the area has yielded a gRat many artefacts all these however are: loose finds. Without stmtigmphic evi· dences from actual excavations and scientific dating of so me of the objects found, it is not possible evcn in this preliminary study to makc any definitive statement with regard to the relationships of the \·arious find s with one another. ~·Iy

initial typological study of these carly finds seem to imply that we are dealing with more than one cultural assemblage and these come from different lime periods. Whether human occupation in the: area had been continuous from the late neolithic time: s right into the historical period. or whether there

4)

was a lapSt: in time before: the area was resettled in the historical times may only be: de:tennined by further e:xcavations in the: area.

Nonethcle:ss, e:ven at this early stage of our investigation one can suggest that the location of the settlement in an area rich in alluvial tin deposits and close to the connUence of two major rivers in the region were no me:re accident for the late neolithic fo lks as well as the later groups. Mining for tin in a region easily a.ccessibk by rivers could have been thc main reasons fo r their occupation in the area. This is not the first instance in Peninsular Malaysia where arteracu described as 'neolithic' have bee:n reported from mining areas." At Ka.mpong Jenderam Hilir we: have: now a chance to investigate the: matter more closely by extensive: systematic excavation.

17. N~oljlh ic &I1dacu Ian bc~n found in the Tui Gokl min~ in Pahang u weU u hom a mine al BalU G~ah In Pcnlr.. Thue eumpla have bUll dted by Tweedle.tlp. (il .• p.19.

Abblcviation, used:

nu fedcrat ionMuscum.Journal. Kuala Lumpur.

JMBRAS J ourrul of Ihe Malayan Bnnch RoYI] Alialic SocieIY·

hak cipta terpelihara © 1977 persatuan sejarah...

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