UIN Jakarta, FAH News Online, 26 September 2025 – Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held a Studium Generale which examines the role of material culture in the archipelago's global trade network from the 7th to 10th centuries AD. This event was initiated by the Master of Islamic History and Culture (MSKI) and Master of Arabic Language and Literature (MBSA) Study Programs, and was attended by students of the Doctoral Program in Islamic History and Civilization (S3 SPI). This study opens up new insights into the central role of the archipelago, in the international trade vortex connecting West Asia, South Asia and East Asia in the early Islamic era, where archaeological finds at the Bongal Site and other maritime sites witnessed the golden era of the Indian Ocean.

One of the main sources in this session was Dr. Ery Soedewo, SS, M.Hum., Associate Researcher from the Center for Sustainable Maritime, Environmental and Cultural Archaeology Research, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Dr. Ery is known as an archaeologist with a deep specialization in ancient civilizations in Sumatra. His expertise in analyzing artifacts and ecofacts from maritime and land sites is the main reference, especially in tracing the archipelago's interactions with the Islamic world, India and China since the first millennium AD.

In his presentation entitled "Global Commercial Network: Reflections on Artifact & Ecofact Findings at Archaeological Sites of the Archipelago," Dr. Ery Soedewo presented a series of transcontinental material evidence. The findings of Persian ceramics from the 7th to 10th centuries AD at the Bongal Site, Sumatra, show an age correlation equivalent to the findings at the Liyangan Site, Central Java. Evidence of commerce from West Asia is also strengthened by a collection of glass containers and bottles, including a long-necked ovoid bottle from Persia (IX-X centuries AD) and a small rectangular bottle from Ramla (Ramallah, Palestine), indicating close commercial relations with West Asia at that time.

Evidence of global relationships is also strengthened by massive findings of beads in various variants. Dr. Ery presented precious stone beads such as carnelian, oniks, and rock crystal which bear similarities to finds at trading sites in Egypt (Berenike) and India. In addition, the presence of polychrome Islamic Glass Beads from the Matmar period, Egypt (VII-VIII centuries AD), as well as monochrome glass beads from Mesopotamia (IX-X centuries AD), shows the active participation of the archipelago region in the trade network of the early Islamic world. The discovery of wooden boards inscribed with Pallava script (VII–VIII century AD) in Bongal also underscores the linguistic and administrative complexity of the trading site.

Dr. Ery also highlighted the importance of ecofacts—natural remains used by humans— as evidence of commodities. Findings of candlenuts and frankincense at the Bongal Site that are comparable to those found on the Cirebon Shipwreck indicate the main type of commodity exported from the archipelago. Metallurgical evidence such as lead and lead, as well as various types of weights (dacin), suggests that sites such as Kampai Island and Bongal are important areas of global trade.

Through objects such as the Tang Dynasty ceramic teapot (VIII-X centuries AD) and the Changsa and Yueh ceramic bowl, Dr. Ery confirmed the role of the archipelago as a trade meeting point connecting West Asia, South Asia and East Asia, while also emphasizing that this material data provides a more complete picture of economic and cultural dynamics in the Indian Ocean. These discoveries materially support the narrative of the region's involvement in global civilization, even before the Srivijaya era.

The material data presented has implications for Masters and Doctoral students at FAH. The discovery of these artifacts and ecofacts provides physical evidence for historians to provide another perspective for the historical narrative and periodization of Indonesian Islam which has been dominated by textual sources only. Dr. Ery Soedewo emphasized that the study of material culture opens up opportunities for interdisciplinary research; Students can analyze the socio-cultural context of objects, explore linguistic aspects, and criticize the periodization of Islam, so as to enrich their understanding of the history of Islamic civilization in the archipelago.

By: Faizal Arifin

Documentation:

Global maritime network and its relationship to the archipelago
(Source: Ery Soedowo, 2025)