Research into the disposition of ·ceramic sites

in North Sumatra by

E. Edwards Mckinnon

The South-East Asian Ceramic Society Singapore

Research into the disposition of ceramic sites

in North Sumatra A PAPER DELIVERED TO THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN CERAMIC SOCIETY,

SINGAPORE

E. EDWARDS MCKINNON F.R.A.S., F.S.A. (Scot)

11th March, 1976

THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN CERAMIC SOCIETY P.O. BOX 317, TANGLIN POST OFFICE,

SINGAPORE

It is only in the past decade that any attention has been paid to the incidence of ceramic finds in North Sumatra. Following the abortive Communist coup d'etat, in 1965, the Indonesian Government of Gene ral Suharto instituted a programme of self ­sufficiency in rice production and consequently many new areas, prev iously uncultivated- were brought into agr icultura I prod uct ion.

By 1968, as many new lands were opened up, a whole stream of early imported ceram ic wares came to the antique market in Medan. This supply even­tually dr ied up so that over the past two or three years there have been very few p ieces ava ilable for sale to the collector, though from time to time good pieces still appear.

On my return to Sumatra in 1969, I became interested in ceram ics, but more particularly in where the finds were actually being made in the villages of the Medan area. I have a long standing interest in archaeology and decided to t ry to locate the sites from which the wares came. Little by little my Sunday excursions into the villages in rearch of ceramic remains began to bear fruit as my questioning of antique dealers and local farmers regarding ceramics led me from one village to another.

I followed up my field work by reading what­ever books I could obtain, but found that publi­cations on the types of wares normally found in North Sumatra were few and far between. The Locs in publication, "Oriental Ceramics discovered in the Philippines"; Spinks' "The Ceramic Wares of Siam" and volumes of the Sarawak Museum Journal edited by the late Tom Harrisson were very useful. These were followed by the South-East Asian Ceramic Society's Exhibition Catalogue pub lished in 1971 but the number of volumes available to the student of Chinese and South-East Asian export wares is still very limited. Roxanna Brown's recent add ition to these wo rks, her new "Dating of South-East Asian Ceramic Wares" is most welcome. Consequently, a lot was learnt by discussion and comparisons with other people interested in ceram ics in North Sumatra, but a lot more was learnt by simply going into the field to find sherds of various kinds in situ , where they had been disturbed by local farmers planting rice or vegetables.

Fortunately I was supported in my interest by T. Luckman Sinar of the Medan Arts Council and Drs . E.K. Siahaan of the Kabin Permuseuman of North Sumatra who were able to obtain official permission for me to carryon this albeit rather amateur research . From these beginnings, I have been able to extend my research both North into Aceh and south to the limits of the East Coast area . The results of this part time research work over a period of six years is that I now have something of a picture of the early trade patterns of the East Coast of Sumatra ; of what was exported and what was import ed from a period from the beginning of the Sung dynasty up until the fall of the Ming. Aga in, background reading material has not been all that easy to come by, but

Professor O.W. Wolters books on "Early Indonesian Commerce "and " he Fall of Sri - Wijaya in Malay Historvhave both proved extremely useful, as from these I was able to learn something of the history of the old Sumatra Malay kingdoms and of the East West commerce as recorded in Chinese and other ancient records.

Little by littl e, pieces have begun to fit into the picture, rather like a jigsaw puzzle. The republication of John Anderson 's book "Mission to the East Coast of Sumatra in 1823" by Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur also provided impetus to the general archaeolgical side of the work, as Anderson men ­tioned one or two places by name where objects of historical interest were known over 150 years ago. The combination of John Anderson's records and a local itinerant trader, Abdul Rachman Lubis led to our discovery of an extremely important Sung/Y uan trad ing site just north of Labuhan Deli, inland from the major East Coast port of Belawan. This is Kota Cina, about which John Anderson had written, "there is a stone of a very large size, with an inscription upon it, in characters not understood by any of the natives". Despite prolonged investigation there is no sign of the inscribed stone, but Kota Cina has yielded two very important stone statues of the Buddha, of probable South Indian or Sinhalese or igin, and sherds of a whole host of varieties of imported Sung and Yuan period ceramics together with locally made earthenware material. There are also signs of brick built buildings, metal working and many hundreds of rang and Sung period Chinese coins. Some of the coins date back to the 7th century, but one does not necessarily leap to the conclusion that the ceramics are also of the rang per iod as certain rang styles appear to have continued on into the Sung. It is inte rest ing to note however that there are examples of coins from virtually every "nien-ho " or reign period of the Northern Sung.

Kota Gina The creek at Kate Gina, where drainage work exposed layers of sherds, shells and other domestic debris.

With ' century blu what appea white or la recovered ' a appear to E

is as yet tl rang, or tl styles whicl token, sher type charac the Yuan .

Some covered at when a nev sherds of CE

looking the

Not ] area rich i as late Yu Sawankhalc

Stoneware brown gla. rang, this

Kots Gina Green glazed Gina. Simila Harrisson fro

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ks on "Early Indonesian Sri - Wijaya in Malay

xtrerneiv useful , as from iethinq of the history of ~doms and of the East j in Chinese and other

ave begun to fit into the 'UZzle. The republication Iission to the East Coast ixtord University Press,

impetus to the general ork, as Anderson men ­, name where objects of vn over 150 years ago . nderson's records and a Rachman Lub is led to

y important Sung/Y uan Juhan Deli, inland from f Belawan . This is Kota rson had written, "there ize, with an inscr iption iderst ood by any of the nvestigation there is no It Kota Cina has yielded ltues of the Buddha, of halese orig in, and sherds of imported Sung and

her with locally made are also signs of brick

19 and many hundreds nese coins . Some of the nturv , but one does not rsion that the ceramics as certain T'ang styles n into the Sung. It is hat there are examples ry "nien-ho " or reign

inage work exposed layers ' debris.

With the exception of one piece of 15th - 16th century blue and wh ite and two or three fragments of what appear to be Sawankhalok wares, no blue and wh ite or later South-East Asian wares have yet been recovered ' at Kota Cina . In fact, many of the sherds appear to exh ibit T'ang period characteristics, but it is as yet too early to say whether these wares are T'ang, or that they represent a continuation of T'ang styles which carried on into the Sung. By the same token , sherds which appear to exhibit certain Ming ­type characteristics may well have developed during the Yuan.

Some very fine Sung period wares were re ­covered at Kota Bangun on the Sei. Deli in 1970, when a new irrigation ditch was being dug . I found sherds of celadon and early glass on a small hill over­looking the Sei. Deli at this site.

Not far north of Kota Cina however, is an area rich in sherd material definitely recognisable as late Yuan or Ming, mixed with characteristic Sawankhalok, Sukothai and Annamese wares. These

A Stoneware Jar Recovered at Kota Cina Stoneware jar, unglazed except for a small amount of thin brown glaze around the small mouth. Often described as rang, th is type of jar certainly continued in use in the Sung

and Yuan periods.

Kote Cina Green glazed kendi reconstructed from sherds found at Kote Cina. Similar Kendis have been described by Zainif.. and Harrisson from Sarawak. Probably Sung.

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Kote Cina Fragments of green glazed buff coloured earthenware and grey stoneware from K ate Cina. The vessels were either small moulded Bottles or plates. Probably Sung.

remains have been found mainly in the area of Kota Rantang and Kota Datar at the confluence of the Sei. Hitam and Sei. Diski, which eventually flows into the Buluh Cina river and the Belawan estuary. Yuan and Ming ceram ics have in fact been recovered from a number of sites in the Deli Serdang and Langkat areas, including Tandem, Klumpang and Paya Kangkong near Binjei .

South of Belawan is a now siIted - up river mouth, the Kuala Percut , and from this area too, some fine specimens of Sukotha i and Annamese wares have been found along with South Chinese celadon and blue and white wares.

Upstream from Medan on the Sei . Deli is the Benteng Puteri Hijau, also mentioned by John Anderson in his list of antiquities of the area. This earth-work, traditionally associated with a legendary princess, the Puteri Hijau of Karo Batak and Malay folklore, has yielded sherds of 15th and 16th century celadon and blue and white wares, Sawankhalok, Sukothai and Annamese wares. Recently at this site, overlooking the Sei. Deli , or Lau Petani as it is called by the Karo, I found one fragment of good quality Sung or Yuan Chinq -pai ware and a Chinese coin of the Emperor Hui Tsung, of the reign period Cheng HoTungpao ;dated 1111 to 1118AD.

It was not uncommon for antique dealers in Medan to appear with a piece reputedly found in the Batak Highlangs around Lake Toba or from Tanah Karo. I have in fact seen an early Yuan two eared blue and wh ite jarlet reputedly found in the area of Kaban jahe in Tanak Karo, wh ich is not very far from the headwaters of the Lau Petani I have just ment ioned .

Gradually a pattern is being established. Chinese and South-East As ian export wares were traded at ports on the sea coast. F rom the evidence at Kota Cina, it would appear that as early as the

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Sung period, there were established settlements of overseas Chinese on the East Coast of Sumatra. These merchants traded ceramics and possibly iron goods and other materials that would leave Iittle or no archaeological evidence, for forest produce such as damar resins used for ritual purposes, what Prol Wolters has called "false frankincense", and other~ for caulking ships, timber, rotan and possibly even gold, wh ich is found in small quantities in alluv ial deposits in the Bukit Barisan mountains. Thus ceramics, initially from China and latterly from the kilns of Thailand and Vietnam found their way up the river routes to the mountain villages of the Hill tribes.

To the south, odd finds of South-East Asian and Ming period export wares have come to light in the districts of Asahan and Labuhan Batu. At Gunung Malayu overlooking the Sei. Asahan I found frag ­ments of Sawankhalok celadon, and a few kilometres downstream at Sei. Piring, sherds of 15th - 16th century blue and white wares. It is possible that the Asahan will prove to be connected with the old kingdom of Arcat mentioned on early European maps of Sumatra . The Asahan river was most certainly one of the more important access routes from the East Coast to the in land Batak areas around lake Toba right up unt il the 19th century.

Further south again, on the borders of East Sumatra and the province of R iau, is an area drained by the Panei and Barumun rivers wh ich join to flow into the sea near Labuhan Bilik. Th is area is of some historical significance. It is known as the Padang Lawas and was the centre of the Hindu Batak "Panel" kingdom which was invaded by Rajendra Cola of the South Indian Cola kingdom in the early 11th century. The Padang Lawas contains a series of brick build candis or temples, some of the very few pre-I slamic hist~ical monuments which have survived in Sumatra . In its heyday, which was between the 11 th and 14th centuries the area must have supported a sizeable population and controlled an important trade route from the east coast through the Bukit Barisan mountains to Padang Sidempuan, Sibolga and Baros on the west.

On a brief visit to Portibi on the Aek Panei, the site of three of the remaining temples of the Padang Lawas group, I found a few fragments of Sung celadon wares . I am sure that a more intense search of the area will surely reveal much more in the way of ceramic remains.

Mention might also be made of Baros on the West Coast of Sumatra where a stele with a Tamil inscription dated to the early 11 th century has been found in association with sherd material identified as of Sung origin. Baros was one of the ports for the important ancient camphor trade and no doubt attracted ships carrying Chinese ceramics.

North of Medan, in the Aru Bay area is Pulau Kompei. The name Kompei is known from Chinese records as far back as the 7th century AD. Here in August 1974, Tengku Luckman and I found

abundant evidence beads. The sherds '" celadon and Ch'in remains of some co wares and low-fired remarkable for the beads and also larg bably originated fr rang and Sung pel Kompei, but in nc found at Kota Cina.

In Aceh, the! great rival of Mala

I

Pasai was tentative in 1937, as bei Lhoksuemawe in " was able to visit the of Lhoksuemawe, i Said the historian a evidence of a majo on the Krueng pasa tons of sherd mate soft grey Indian Ming blue and whi ments of Sawankhal sometimes find whc way into the hands I

1) an area notec early Islamic with the firs1

At Meraksa E

I

16TH C. ISLAMIC GJ The surrounding area

I

ished settlements of Coast of Sumatra.

ics and possibly iron would leave little or

orest produce such as purpo ses, what Pro! incense", and others In and possibly even quantities in alluvial In mountains . Thus rnd latterly from the found their way up

in villages of the Hill

of South-East Asian lave come to light in han Batu . At Gunung vsahan I found trag- I and a few kilometres

·rds of 15th - 16th It is possible that the nected with the old early European maps

'as most certainly one routes from the East as around lake Toba

the borders of East iau, is an area drained rs which join to flow . This area is of some lown as the Padang Hindu Batak "Panel" Rajendra Cola of the

ie early 11th century. series of brick build

, very few pre-Islamic have survived in

vas between the 11 th ust have supported a ed an important trade Jgh the Bukit Barisan In, Sibolga and Baros

on the Aek Panei, the emples of the Padang , fragments of Sung nore intense search of h more in the way of J

lade of Baros on the a stele with a Tamil 1th century has been material identified as of the ports for the

:rade and no doubt ceram ics.

Aru Bay area is Pulau known from Chinese

abundant evidence of an early trade in ceramics and beads. The sherds were mainly Sung period Che'kiang celadon and Ch'ing - pai wares together with the remains of some coarse grey and brown glazed stone­wares and low-fired earthenware. The Kompei site is remarkable for the large quantities of small glass beads and also larger beads of carnelian which pro ­bably orig inated from South India . A number of rang and Sung period co ins were also recovered at Kompei, but in nothing like the quantity of coins found at Kota Cina .

In Aceh, the site of the erstwhile entrepot and great rival of Malacca, the city state of Samudera Pasai was tentatively identified by Dr. J .V.G. Mills in 1937, as bei ng in the neighbourhood of Lhoksuemawe in Aceh Utara 1. In Februay 1975, I was able to visit the Kecamatan Samudera just South of Lhoksuemawe, in company with H. Mohammad Said the historian and again found abundant ceramic evidence of a major habitation site at Kuta Krueng on the Krueng pasai , The area is strewn with literally tons of sherd material of locally made earthenware, soft grey Indian or Middle Eastern earthenware, Ming blue and white and celadon wares, and frag ­ments of Sawankhalok and Annamese wares. Villagers sometimes find whole pieces which quickly find their way into the hands of antique dealers.

1) an area noted for a number of magnificient early Islamic tombs and reputedly connected with the first Islamic sultanate in Sumatra .

At Meraksa between Gedong on the Krueng

pasai and Lhoksuemawe, I was able to identify sherds of Ming blue and white and celadon wares, Sawankhalok, Sukothai and Annamese wares in­dicating that the whole area must have been quite thickly populated in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Further north, near the mouth of the Krueng alluring villagers produced fragments of good quality late Sung or Yuan celadon and Honan temmoku wares. I understand that find s of Sung and Yuan wares are not uncommon in eastern Aceh.

There is therefore a very wide range of ceramic mater ial to be found all up and down the East Coast of North Sumatra and Aceh. Unfortunately as you no doubt appreciate, archaeological research in a tropical country such as Sumatra is far from easy . The climate and consequent lush growth of vegetation wh ich naturally affords a dense cover to the soil makes observation extremely difficult . It is therefore due to agents such as erosion, or by human interference, by cultivation or by digging irrigation ditches, that the archaeologist is afforded an opportunity to note where chance finds of interest occur.

The archaeology of Sumatra is a sphere of study which is virtually untouched. Ceramics will play an important part in helping to identify and date early trading and habitation sites as sherds survive where much else will perish. The surface has barely been scratched and so much remains to be done but ceramics may well prove the vital link between the old Malay Kingdoms of the Chinese records and modern identification of the sites of their major centres of habitation.

century AD . Here in 16TH C. ISLAMIC GRA VES AT "PEUT. PULU PEUT." or Forty Four <man and I found The surrounding area is littered with sherd material, fragments of glass bangles and small bottles, and the occasional tin coin.

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Notes on

Research into the disposition of ceramic sites in North Sumatra

References consulted in connection with this research and of interest generally:­

1. Anderson J. Mission to the East Coast of Sumatra in 1823. Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints. K.L. 1971.

2. Ayres J. The Baur Collection . Vo l. 1 Geneva 1968.

3 . Brankston A. Early Ming Wares of Ching te chen. Vetch and Lee Ltd . Hongkong 1970.

4. Chen Te.kun. Archaeology in Sarawak . Heffer , Cambridge 1969.

5. Donnelly P.J. Blanc de Chine. Faber, London 1969.

6 . Garner, Sir Harry. Oriental Blue and White. Faber, London 1970.

7. Gompertz G. St. G.M. Chinese Celadon Wares . Faber, London 1958.

8. Hobson. Wares of the Ming Dynasty. Tuttle Rutland, Vermont 1971.

9. Joseph A. Chinese and Annamese Ceramics. 10 . Lamb A. Federation Museums Journal. Vol.

V I K. L. 1961. Archaeological references, ex ­cavation in Kedah etc.

11. Legeza I. L. The Malcolm MacDonald Collec­tion. University of Durham. Oxford 1972.

12 . Locs in L. and C. Oriental Ceramics Discovered in the Philippines. Tuttle, Vermont, 1967.

13. Medley M. Yuan Porcelain and Stoneware. Faber, London 1974. '

14. Moore E. Sarawak Museum Journal Vol. XVIII Nos. 36 - 37 1970.

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15 . Mills J .V.G . Ma Huan. Ying-yai sheng-Ian. Hakluyt Soc iety. Cambridge 1970.

16. Osgood. BlulWhite Ch inese Porcelain . Roland. New York 1956.

17 . Palmgren N. Sung Sherds. St ~ckholm 1 63 . 18 . Schnitger F.M. Archaeology of] ~ r il ,

Leiden 1937. Forgotten Kingdoms Brill. Leiden 1964.

19. Spink. The Ceram ic Wares of Siam. Bangkok 1965.

20. Van Orsoy de Flines E.W. Guide to the Ceramic Collection. Museum Pusat, Jakarta 1969.

21 . Wirgin J. Sung Ceramic Design. Stockholm 1970.

22 . Wolters O.W. Early Indonesian Commerce. Cornell 1967.

23 . Ibid The Fall of Sriwijaya in Malay History . O.U.P. K.L. 1970.

24. Zainie C. and Harrisson T . Early Chinese Stonewares excavated in Sarawak. Sarawak ~useum Journal. Vol. XV. Nos . 30 - 31 1967.

The follow ing are also of interest: ­

Transact ions of the. Oriental Ceramic Society, London. Bulletins of the Museum of Far East Anti­qu ities, Stockholm (published in English). Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiat ic Society.

1. North Surnatn ~~~ Sumatra Pasai

Kampe

Haru

o

KOTA~~

\

NOI

MAP 1: N(

Notes on archaeological sites Shewn on the maps

1. North Sumatra and Aceh (Old Malay Kingdoms Sumatra; in particular Kota ~~~ situated as follows):- Cina, Kota Rantang, Kota SYmava Pasai Situated at Kota Krueng Datar, Paya Kangkong, Percut

south and east of Lhoksue­ and Deli Tua . mawe in Aceh Utara. Arcat Sites along the Asahan river,

Kampe Situated at Pulau Kompei in Gunung Malayu and Sei. Aru Bay. Piring.

Haru The Deli area of north Panei The Padang Lawas.

•

nic sites

In. Ying-yai sheng-Ian. -idge 1970. rinese Porcelain . Roland.

srds, St ~thO H;t6.;3. )\ogy of , ~OFA S ifrlfI, otten Kingdoms Brill.

'ares of Siam. Bangkok

; E.W. Guide to the Museum Pusat, Jakarta

mic Design. Stockholm

Indonesian Commerce.

'ijaya in Malay History.

ion T. Early Chinese in Sarawak. Sarawak

KV. Nos. 30 - 31 1967.

'est: ­

'iental Ceramic Society,

um of Far East Anti­:>ublished in English). an Branch of the Royal

MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR

•

SUMATRA

-GUNUNG TUA

TAMIANG

PULAU KOMPEI (KAMPE)

~KET~

KOTA RANTANG KOTA CINA

• MEDA N (HARU) KAROLAND --­

LHOKSUEMAWE (SAMUDERA - PASAIl

ACEH

PN~ NORTH SUMATRA AND ACEH

MAP 1: NORTH SUMATRA & ACEH

7

2. The East Coast of Sumatra

Sung/Yuan period remains have been recovered at :-Pulau Kompei Paya Kangkong Kota Cina Kota Bangun Deli Tua Padang Lawas, near Portibi

Ming period export wares, including finds of

MAP II: ACEH f:, ~a~

LHOKSUEMAWE

TAM lANG

45 KM

o

Q

TJ BALEI

SjiI'awankhalok and Annamese wares have been found as surface recoveries at: ­

Kota Krueng Pulau Sembilan (Aru Bay) Stabat (Cinta Raja) Kota Datar Kota Rantang Percut Deli Tua Gunung Melayu and Sei. Piring on the Sei. Asahan.

G. MELAYU

~SAHAN

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