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Kris as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity ( CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Indonesian Keris Dagger Forged From Metal, Imbued With Spirit

In 2005, the Southeast Asian dagger, keris , was designated as a Masterpiece of Humanity's Oral and Intangible Heritage by UNESCO. The keris is an asymmetrical dagger with a unique blade design made...
Representation of Homo Erectus. Source: crimson

New Study Reveals Where Homo erectus Took Their Final Stand

Between 117,000 and 108,000 years the end was nigh for the hominins we call Homo erectus . They were the first of our ancestors to stand tall and walk upright, but even this ancient human species...
Atop Gunung Padang mountain / pyramid.

That Ancient Indonesian Pyramid Believed to Be 11,000 Years Older Than Göbekli Tepe Has Been “Discovered” Again

Geologists working on the island of Java using radar images have claimed, like many before them, that they have “located a mysterious ancient pyramid deep within a dense forest,” dating back to the...
The ‘Made in China’ inscription (highlighted here) indicates that this piece may have been made in the Wang family workshop Jianning Fu Prefecture.

‘Made in China’ Mark Names the Source of Java Shipwreck Cargo

Experts at the Field Museum in Chicago have made a discovery regarding a Chinese treasure trove that lay strewn on the ocean floor in the Java Sea. The trove was from a sunken ship that carried...
Rice goddesses are found across cultures

Rice Goddesses - Earth Mothers who Influenced Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld

For centuries, rice has been a staple diet and plays an important role in Asian culture. Although rice farmers have found their lives becoming more difficult due to climate change, Bloomberg states...
Golden Celestial Nymph of Majapahit (CC BY-SA 3.0), and carved relief of a bulging-eyed figure on a temple in Trowulan, suggested site of the capital city of the Majapahit Empire (CC BY-SA 3.0), Deriv.

The Hidden Mastermind and Warrior Queen Behind an Empire’s Golden Age

The Majapahit Empire was a vast empire on the island of Java from 1293 to 1527 CE, which later became part of modern Indonesia. It was an empire of 98 tributaries, stretching from the island of...
22 Ancient Gold Plates Inscribed with Names of Gods Unearthed in Stone Box in Java

22 Ancient Gold Plates Inscribed with Names of Gods Unearthed in Stone Box in Java

Twenty-two small gold plates with divine symbols and characters have been unearthed in central Java, a large island in the Indonesian archipelago. When archaeologists went to investigate, they found...
Deriv; Wayang kulit figure, representing Semar (CC BY-SA 3.0) and Mask of Semar for traditional Javanese theater performance (CC BY-SA 3.0), and sarong from Java, c. 1880.

Semar: The Fallen God and Divine Jester of Indonesian Mythology

Semar is probably one of the oldest characters in Indonesian mythology who was said to not have been derived from Hindu mythology. He was made famous by performances of Wayang (Shadow Puppets) in the...
Presumed Portrait of Jayavarman VII

Jayavarman II: Self-Proclaimed God-King of the Khmer Empire

Jayavarman II is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Khmer Empire, a powerful state which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th century AD until the 15th century AD. The Khmer...
Homo erectus Skull Discovered in Central Java Provides More Evidence for Ancient Hominids in the Area

Homo erectus Skull Discovered in Central Java Provides More Evidence for Ancient Hominids in the Area

The skull of a Homo erectus has been found in the area near the Bojong River in Manyarejo village, Sragen, Central Java, Indonesia. It is the first discovery of a human fossil in this area in 80...
Page from Serat Babat Tanah Jawi, the Chronicle of Java, Inset: King Jayabaya

Jayabaya — The Seer King of Java who Predicted the Dutch and Japanese Occupation of Indonesia

Nostradamus (1503 – 1566) was best known as an author of prophesies. He is credited by some with predicting a number of events in world history, including the French Revolution, the atom bomb, the...
Buddhist Temple of Borobudur

The magnificent ancient Buddhist Temple of Borobudur

Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Prior to the coming of Islam, however, this archipelago was dominated by Hinduism and Buddhism. One of the most iconic...
Megalithic site of Gunung Padang

Remarkable megalithic site of Gunung Padang must be preserved

Gunung Padang is a remarkable archaeological region located 120 kilometres south of Jakarta in Indonesia, known for having the largest number of megaliths in the country. It has been the subject of...
Ancient Sailendra dynasty in Java - Reconstructing the scene of Borobudur

Archaeologists unearth remnants of ancient Sailendra dynasty in Java

The Sailendra (or officially Sailendravamça) is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java. The Sailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered...
Pyramid Structure in Java 9,000-years-old

On the Verge of a Major Discovery – Pyramid Structure in Java May be More than 9,000-years-old

Geologist Danny Hilman is on the verge of a major discovery – 120 kilometres south of Jakarta in Gunung Padang, sits an ancient arrangement of large stones atop a hill. Now evidence suggests that...