The first government institution of archaeology was officially formed in 1913 with the establishment of Oudheidkundige Dienst in Nederlandsch-Indië (Archaeological Service in the Dutch East Indies) under Professor Dr. N.J. Kromm.[3]: 5
During the early period of archaeological discovery in Indonesia, from the 16th to the 18th century, ancient statues, temples, ruins and other archaeological sites and artifacts were usually left intact, undisturbed by locals. This was mainly due to local taboo and
superstitious beliefs connecting statues and ancient ruins with spirits that might cause misfortune. For example, two
old Javanese chronicles (babad) from the 18th century mention cases of bad luck associated with "the mountain of statues", which was actually the ruins of the
Borobudur Buddhist monument. According to the Babad Tanah Jawi, the monument was a fatal factor for Mas Dana, a rebel who revolted against PakubuwonoI, the king of
Mataram in 1709.[5] It was recorded that the "Redi Borobudur" hill was besieged and the insurgents were defeated and sentenced to death by the king. In the Babad Mataram (or the History of the Mataram Kingdom), the monument was associated with the misfortune of Prince Monconagoro, the crown prince of the
Yogyakarta Sultanate in 1757.[6] In spite of a taboo against visiting the monument, "he took what is written as the knight who was captured in a cage (a
Buddha statue in one of the perforated stupas)". Upon returning to his palace, he fell ill and died a day later.
Another example: the
Prambanan and
Sewu temple compound is connected to the
Javanese legend of
Roro Jonggrang; a wondrous folklore about a multitude of demons that built almost a thousand temples, and a prince who cursed a beautiful but cunning princess causing her to become a stone statue.[7] Nevertheless, several Javanese
Keratons did collect archaeological artifacts, including Hindu-Buddhist statues. For example,
Keraton Surakarta,
Keraton Yogyakarta, and
Mangkunegaran collected archaeological artifacts in their palace museums.[8] In areas where the Hindu faith survived, especially
Bali, archaeological sites such as
Goa Gajah cave sanctuary and the
Gunung Kawi temples still served their original religious purposes as sacred places of worship.
Dutch East Indies period
Formal archaeological study in Indonesia has its roots in 18th-century
Batavia, when a group of Dutch intellectuals established a scientific institution under the name Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, (
Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences) on 24April 1778.[9] This private body had the aim of promoting research in the field of arts and sciences, especially in history,
archaeology,
ethnography and
physics, and publishing the various findings.
Sir
Thomas Stamford Raffles, the Governor General of
British Java (1811 to 1816) had a personal interest in the history, culture, and the antiquity of ancient Java, writing The History of Java, which was published in 1817.[10] During his administration, the ancient ruins of
Borobudur,
Prambanan and
Trowulan came to light. This sparked a wider interest in Javanese archaeology. A number of
temple ruins were surveyed, recorded and catalogued systematically for the first time. However, by the 19th century, the sudden surge of interest in Javanese art had led to the looting of archaeological sites by "souvenir hunters" and thieves. This period saw the decapitation of a Buddha's head at Borobudur. Of the original 504 ancient Buddha statues in Borobudur, over 300 are damaged (mostly headless), and 43 are missing. The looted Borobudur Buddhas' heads were mostly sold abroad, ending up in private collections or acquired by Western museums[11] such as the
Tropenmuseum in
Amsterdam and
The British Museum in
London.[12]
In 1901, the colonial government of the
Dutch East Indies set up the Commissie in Nederlandsch Indie voor Oudheidkundige Onderzoek van Java en Madoera, headed by
Dr J. L. A. Brandes.[4] It was officially recognized on 14June 1913, with the formation of the Oudheidkundige Dienst in Nederlandsch-Indië (Archaeological Service of the Dutch East Indies), often abbreviated as "OD", under Professor Dr. N.J. Kromm.[3]: 5 Kromm is credited as the pioneer who established the organizational foundation of archaeological study in the East Indies. The object of this was to attempt to ensure that every archaeological find, discovery, exploration and study was conducted and recorded correctly and in accord with the scientific approach of modern archaeology. During Kromm's administration, numbers of journals, books and catalogues were composed and published which systematically recorded the archaeological finds in the colony. Several initial restoration works on the
temple ruins of Java were also conducted during this period.[3]: 5
Republic of Indonesia period
After the turbulent period of
World War IIPacific War (1941–45) and the ensuing
Indonesian Revolution (1945–49) the Oudheidkundige Dienst ("OD") was nationalized by the newly recognized
United States of Indonesia in 1950 as Djawatan Poerbakala Repoeblik Indonesia Serikat (Archaeological Service of the United States of Indonesia). In 1951, the organization of Djawatan Purbakala was improved as Dinas Purbakala as a part of Djawatan Kebudajaan Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudajaan (Cultural Service of Department of Education and Culture), with independent archaeological offices in
Makassar,
Prambanan and
Bali.[3]: 5
In 1953, two of the first
native Indonesianarchaeologists graduated, one of them was
R. Soekmono, who subsequently succeeded Bernet Kemper as the chief of Djawatan Poerbakala Repoeblik Indonesia. Later, the national archaeological institution changed to Lembaga Poerbakala dan Peninggalan Nasional (Institute of Archaeology and National Heritage) or LPPN.[13]
In 1975 the LPPN was separated into two institutions: Direktorat Pemeliharaan dan Pelestarian Peninggalan Sejarah dan Purbakala which focussed on preservation efforts; and Pusat Penelitian Purbakala dan Peninggalan Nasional which focussed on archaeological research.[4]
In 1980, the institution was changed to Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional (National Archaeological Research Center) under the
Ministry of Education and Culture. In 2000 the institution was transferred to
Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2005 the institution name was changed to Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Arkeologi Nasional (National Archaeological Research and Development Center). In 2012 it changed again to Pusat Arkeologi Nasional (National Archaeological Center) with authority transferred back from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of Education and Culture.[4]
In January 2021, archaeologists announced the discovery of at least 45,500 years old cave art in Leang Tedongnge cave. According to the
journal Science Advances,
cave painting of a warty pig is the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region. An adult male pig, measuring 136 cm x 54 cm, was depicted with horn-like facial warts and two handprints above its hindquarters. According to co-author
Adam Brumm, two other pigs that were partly preserved suggest that the wart pig was observing a fight between two of them.[16][17][18][19]
Buni: a prehistoric
clay pottery culture that flourished in coastal northern
West Java and
Banten around 400 BC to 100 AD [24] and probably survived until 500 AD. The culture was named after its first discovered archaeological site, Buni village in Babelan,
Bekasi, east of
Jakarta.
Prambanan Temple Compounds: the archaeological area of several Hindu-Buddhist temples in
Prambanan Plain, including its main site the
Prambanan Trimurti Hindu temple, and nearby
Sewu,
Lumbung and Bubrah temples. The Sewu Buddhist temple compound dates from the 8th century, while the main Hindu temple compound of Prambanan dates from the 9th century.[26] Other nearby but separated sites including
Plaosan,
Sojiwan,
Ratu Boko,
Banyunibo and
Ijo temple.
Muaro Jambi Temple Compounds: an extensive site of Buddhist temples of red brick structure estimated to date from the 11th to 13th century CE, and linked to Srivijaya and
Melayu Kingdom. The archaeological site includes eight excavated temple sanctuaries and covers about 12 square kilometers, stretching 7.5 kilometers along the
Batang Hari River. 80 menapos, or mounds of temple ruins, are not yet restored.[27][28]
Sriwijaya Kingdom Archaeological Park: the remnants of ancient man-made canals, moats, ponds and artificial islands discovered near the northern bank of
Musi river in the vicinity of
Palembang. It is suggested that the site is a 9th-century settlement related to the
Srivijaya empire.[29]
Archaeological sites of former
Singhasari kingdom around
Malang area in East Java: the remnant of 13th century Kutaraja, the royal capital of Singhasari centered in present-day
Singosari district in Malang Regency. The sites including
Jago and
Kidal temple, Sumberawan stupa, Giant
Dvarapala and
Singhasari temple.[31]
Archaeological sites of Central
Bali, including
Goa Gajah and
Gunung Kawi: the remnants of sacred sanctuary and funerary temples dated to the 9th to 11th century Hindu
Bali Kingdom. Goa Gajah contains a cave sanctuary and ritual bathing pools, probably served as a Hindu hermitage. The cave was rediscovered by Dutch archaeologists in 1923, but the fountains and pool were not uncovered until 1954.[33] While Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century temple and
funerary complex in
Tampaksiring[34]: 180 north east of
Ubud in
Bali
Gunongan Historical Park: a 17th-century palace and garden located in
Aceh, with a white circular structure known as the Gunongan, after which the park has been named.[35] Possibly built by
Iskandar Muda of
Aceh.
Fort Nassau, Banda Islands: the first Dutch fort built on Banda (or Bandaneira) Island, the main island of the
Banda Islands, part of
Maluku in
Indonesia, completed in 1609.[36] Its purpose was to control the trade in nutmeg, which at that time was only grown in the Banda Islands.[37]
Sambas Treasure: a hoard of ancient gold and silver Buddhist sculptures found near the town of Sambas in
West Kalimantan that now form part of the
British Museum's collection.[41] Dating from 8th–9th centuries AD they were probably made in Java.[42]
Belitung shipwreck: the wreck of an Arabian
dhow which sailed en route from Africa to China around 830 CE.[43] The ship completed the outward journey, but sank on the return journey, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) off the coast of
Belitung Island,
Indonesia. The cargo contains Chinese
Tang gold and ceramics artifacts.
Kris of Knaud: the oldest known
kris surviving in the world,[46] dated to the
Majapahit period (c. 14th century). Today it is displayed in the
Tropenmuseum, the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.
^Rosi, Adele (1998). Museum Nasional Guide Book. Jakarta: PT Indo Multi Media, Museum Nasional and Indonesian Heritage Society. p. 4.
^Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: The History of Java; Black, Parbury and Allen for the Hon. East India Company 1817; reprinted in the Cambridge Library Collection, 2010
^Ferry Ardiyanto (16 June 2014).
"Sejarah Lembaga Purbakala". Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (in Indonesian). Archived from
the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
^"Archaeology". Universitas Indonesia.
Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
^Zahorka, Herwig (2007). The Sunda Kingdoms of West Java, From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with Royal Center of Bogor, Over 1000 Years of Propsperity and Glory. Yayasan cipta Loka Caraka.