(Other imported and Balinese wares)
0.0
4.6 Dating
The dating of the Rouletted Ware from northeastern Bali is very important as a starting point for discussing the beginnings of contacts between India and Bali. In India, Rouletted Ware has been used widely to date many Early Historical sites. However, there is still debate about the most appropriate date range. Rouletted ware was found more abundantly in the pre-Arretine than in the post-Arretine layers at Arikamedu. As noted above, Wheeler (1946) dated it at this site to between the late first century BC or the beginning of the first century AD, and AD 200.
Chakravarti (Wheeler et al 1946: 109) and Subrahmanyam (1964: 8-9), on the basis of palaeography, suggested that the reported examples of inscribed Rouletted Ware date between the second century BC and the third or fourth centuries AD . Begley (1983: 468-471; 1986) also argues on the basis of stratigraphy and palaeography that the tentative dating of Rouletted Ware in India should be between the second century BC and AD 200. Recent C14 dates from Gedige, Anuradhapura, indicate that the Rouletted Ware there dates between 250 BC and AD 1 (Deraniyagala 1986: 46-47).
In the Sembiran excavations, one C14 date of 1010 + 110 BP (ANU 7218) was obtained from spit 25 in SBN VI. The calibrated age for this is AD 900 (1015) 1160 (ANU 7218)(Ardika and Bellwood 1990). This sample derives from the upper part of layer 6, and Rouletted Ware first appeared about 0.5 - 1 m below this level (see Table 4.1). It should be noted that a rim sherd of Rouletted Ware was found in spit 24 of SBN IV, although this might have been disturbed upwards from the main concentration.
Another date by AMS radiocarbon on rice husks in a sherd from the 3.5 m level in trench SBN VII is 2660±100 bp (CAMS 732). This gives an age of 910 (818) 790 calibrated BC (Ardika and Bellwood 1990). This AMS date is obviously several centuries earlier than that for Rouletted ware according to the Indian evidence, and its interpretation poses a number of unresolved problems.
Given the overall date ranges of Rouletted Ware in India between 200 BC and AD 200, it seems that the most likely date range for the Rouletted Ware from Sembiran and Pacung falls in the same time span. However, since Mukherjee (1989a,b; 1990a,b) dates the Kharoshthi inscriptions in West Bengal to between the first and fifth centuries AD, the most likely date span for the Rouletted Ware in Bali is probably the first and second centuries AD. The AMS date raises the possibility that Sembiran might have already
become an ancient port several centuries prior to the appearance of Rouletted Ware and other Indian sherds in North Bali.
4.7 The Historical Significance of the Rouletted Ware
The appearance of Rouletted W are in northeastern Bali may indicate the beginning of contacts between India and the island during the early part of the first millennium AD. It is still not clear whether this early contact was direct, or indirect via Sumatra and Java. Rouletted Ware has also been found accidentally in Kobak Kendal and Cibutak in northwest Java (see plate 4.6)(Walker and Santoso 1977, 230, fig l.c). The Rouletted vessel from Cibutak is different from those found in Sembiran. It is notched on the rim and has incised decoration on its exterior.
Apart from the Indian pottery, about 501 glass beads, together with two o f camelian and one of gold were also discovered in Sembiran (as will be discussed later). Glass, carnelian and gold beads have also been found in Gilimanuk, as well as in inland sarcophagus burial sites in Bali (Indraningsih 1985, Soejono 1977.1983; Ardika 1987: 29-30). Some scholars believe that many of these glass and camelian beads derive from India, particularly from Arikamedu (Hoop 1932: 132; Arkell 1936; Sleen 1958: 208; Lamb 1965: 94).
It is worth noting also that gold foil eye covers have been found in Gilimanuk and in sarcophagus burial sites at Pangkungliplip and Margatengah (Soejono 1977, 1983:193; Miksic 1990: 41-42). Similar gold foil eye covers have also been discovered at Oton on Panay island in the Philippines and at Santubong in Sarawak (O'Connor and Harrisson 1971: 72-73). These gold foil eye covers are similar to the artifacts reported from graves at Adichanallur on the Tamil Nadu coast (O'Connor and Harrison 1971; Ray 1989: 51). A face mask of metal was also reported recently from a probable burial context at Pasir Angin in West Java (Angraeni & Awe 1983).
As far as early Indian contact with Bali is concerned, there are no explicit historical accounts which refer to Bali prior to c AD 800. However, Indian texts dated from the third century BC onwards mention several places in Southeast Asia. For instance, the Arthasastra of Kautilya (c 300 BC) mentions Suvarnabhumi, as does the
Sanka Jataka (c third century BC). It is mentioned that the Brahmin Sanka sailed from Varanasi to Suvarnabhum i (Sarkar 1981: 303). Sarkar(1981: 296) suggests that
refers more generally to Southeast Asia as a whole.
The Maha Nidessa from about the middle of the third century BC refers to 24 places, among which are Java and Suvarnabhumi. The Ramayana of Valmiki, which is usually dated between the fourth century BC and the second century AD, describes the island of Java (Javadvipa ) with its seven kingdoms, and the island of Sumatra
(.Suvarnarupyakadvipa ) (Coedes 1975; Wolters 1967; Hall 1979; Sarkar 1981).
Based on these accounts, it possible that the islands of Sumatra and Java were known to Indian traders as early as the third century BC. Bali might have also been reached by Indian traders at that time.
The Manyusrimulakalpa, dated to c AD 800, is the only Indian text to mention specifically the island of Bali. This text also refers to Java (Sarkar 1981:308).
Historical Balinese accounts also state that contacts with foreign traders occurred during the late first millennium AD. The inscription of Bebetin AI, dated to AD 896, mentions a banyaga (long-distance or seafaring merchant) landing at an unidentifiable location called Banua Bharu in north Bali (Goris 1954: 54-55; Wheatley 1975: 268). The term banigrama (Sanskrit Vanigrama ) meaning a merchant guild is also mentioned in the inscriptions of Sembiran B (AD 955) and Sembiran A II (AD 975) (Goris 1954; and see chapter 7).
Given the notion that Indian traders had already reached Bali by the beginning of the first century AD, the question then arises of what sorts of commodities were traded. On the basis of the archaeological evidence, it is presumed that Indian pottery, beads and perhaps textiles (?) were traded into Bali and other regions in Southeast Asia. In terms of exports the Ramayana text refers to gharu wood and sandalwood from eastern Indonesia (Wolters 1967: 65-66). The Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa, who is believed to have been alive in AD 400, mentions cloves (lavanga ) from a place called dvipantara.. W olters (1967:66) argues that the term dvipantara refered to the Indonesian archipelago. Sandalwood is found from East Java to Timor and the clove tree is indigenous to the five small islands of Temate, Tidore, Moti, Makian and Bacan in the Moluccas (W heatley 1959; Miller 1969: 60-62). Sandalwood and cloves were also mentioned in the Periplus
(Schoff 1959; Harmington 1986).
Since sandalwood and cloves were probably derived from islands located to the east of Bali, it may be that Sembiran and other coastal sites in north Bali served as
intermediate stations located on the trade routes between eastern and western Indonesia.
Figure 4.6
C h a p te r 5