Archives Krakatau version 1.0, Part 2   Published: 11/11/2003   Before examining the theories of David Keyes concerning the historical disruptions brought about by Krakatau, it's worth acknowledging the people who were directly affected - the people of the Indonesian archipelago. The written records from Indonesia are extremely rare. Most writing was done on palm leaves and other perishable materials which have not survived. One surviving work, the Javanese historical poem The Negarakertagama by Mpu Prapanca, might have been of some help if I had been able to find an English translation (or at least available in English on the internet.) Fortunately I did find a relevant quotation from the Javanese Book of Kings. Another problem noted by Bjorn Bye, the former Director-General of the Archeological Survey of Sri Lanka, is this: "They even deny their own history before the day Islam was introduced." That doesn't help at all when trying to unravel the historical record of a region where Muslims live. The Christians and Hindus are equally responsible in this outlook, for example the accepted Western view of Phillipino history starts in 1521 BCE, when Antonio Pigafetta - Magellan's publicist says it begins. Anything before that date, wasn't important... What was Southeast Asia like before 536 BCE? What is the tale? The cartographers of the Middle Ages were fond of embellishing their maps with fanciful pictures in the spaces where they had no knowledge - it was very difficult not to do the same in regards to the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Asia. I have had to perform a crash course that does not do the subject justice. There are definite limitations in what one can do as a "virtual" archeologist. Any mistakes made are mine. There have been many migrations of peoples throughout Southeast Asia, the Negritos were among the first waves, and the only remnant of those people are on the Andaman Islands, the people isolated by the rising oceans in the wake of the last Ice Age. The Austronesians followed and can still be found today in Madagascar, New Guinea and other Melanesian islands. The mysterious Redin of Maldives fame probably came and went and of them we have found no traces yet. Around 1500 BC, Indonesian historians say the inhabitants of Tongkin and Annan (Vietnam and Thailand) started to explore the Indonesian archipelago. The small groups of immigrants, like the archaic Greeks on Krete, intermarried and started forming communities and towns. The Age of the Hindu Kingdoms begin with the arrival of the Indian Prince Aji Caka in 78 BCE. The Indian migrants mingled with the local population and the influence of Indian culture enriched the Indonesian culture. The influx continued during the period from the first to the seventh century BCE. Peacefully and gradually the Hindu religion, culture and customs spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago. It was adopted by all layers of the people of Java, but limited to the upper classes on the other islands. The Spice Islands were well known to the rest of the world; the Indians, Persians and Arabs had trade relations with the area. The Chinese had dealings with "She-po" as mentioned in the Chinese chronicles (132 BCE) The Greeks and Romans had some knowledge as Ptolemy of Alexandria wrote of "Abadiou," a country with an advanced culture in many regards. The oldest known kingdom, Kutai in Borneo emerged around 400 BCE, then Tarumanegara in Western Java around 450 BCE, Srivijaya in what would become Southern Sumatra around 502 BCE according to Chinese diplomatic contacts and Mataram in Central Java, circa 732 BCE. The map below provides some clarity as to the locale of these kingdoms.   Srivijaya was ideally situated to monopolize the maritime trade of the Malacca Strait. Through here the Indian galleys, the Chinese junks and the local praus made their way as the monsoons dictated. The ships had to seek shelter while they waited for the correct season, and thus Srivijaya benefited from the monsoons. This maritime empire gained dominion over the waters of the Strait, and all the hundreds of islands offshore. It brought the great natural wealth from the jungles and oceans of the Malay world into a trading network that stretched from China to Arabia. Srivijaya dominated the trade in the eastern seas from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries. From the hinterlands of Java the forest people, the orang asli brought out useful plants and valuables, such as sugar, rattan, rare woods - gold and tin from the interior. They were animists, believing that the natural world was crowded with spirits. The sea people, the orang laut, gathered the riches of the ocean, coral, pearls, and cowrie shells. They were (and still are) also pirates, raiding the foreign ships. Through them Srivijaya gained control of the ocean by the clever strategy of making them their navy. They patrolled the Strait, collecting tolls and taxes. The foreign merchants had an open sea free from piracy if they submitted, or the orang laut could change professions. Since Sriwijaya was meticulous in it's regulations and availability of the marketplaces at Jambi or Palembang, resistance was not usually pursued. It was not profitable. Srivijaya did not build its power through military force. Instead of taxation, the state relied instead on the foreign tariffs and gambling fees! (Definitely an open port...) Favors and obligations through a code called adat was used to balance the relationship between the ruler and his subjects. The chronicler Chau Ju Kua wrote this description "When the king goes out, he sits in a boat; his body has a mau-pu (sarong) wrapped around it. He is sheltered by a silk umbrella and guarded by men bearing golden lances. The people either lived scattered about outside the city, or on the water on rafts of boards covered over with reeds, and these are exempt from taxation. They are skilled at fighting on land or water. When they are about to make war on another state they assemble and send forth such a force as the occasion demands. They (then) appoint chiefs and leaders, and all provide their own military equipment and the necessary provisions. In facing the enemy and craving death they have not their equal among nations." Srivijaya lacked agricultural space for rice, and the entire Indonesian archipelago has suffered drought and famine to the present day from the weather pattern known as El Nino, but the Kingdom would find a way around this problem later in it's existence through the establishment of agrarian realms in central and eastern Java. There was a more immediate problem though threatening the emergent Hindu Kingdoms. If we look back at the map we see that there was no "Java" and there was no "Sumatra" - at least as separate islands before 536 BCE. They were conjoined by a region known as Sunda country whose main distinguishing feature was the volcano then known as Kapi. Scientists today call this volcano Proto Krakatau. The Proto Krakatau eruption was originally dated at 416 BCE - but there is nothing from the tree ring samples or from the ice core samples of GISP2 that would validate this date. The accounts from foreign travellers that can be dated indicate that all was well during the 5th Century. But there is absolute silence during the 6th Century. Srivijaya would have to face a trial by fire. And Kutai would vanish from history until 1365 BCE. From the History of the Southern Dynasties of China, referring to a great explosion in February 535 BCE. "...there twice was the sound of great thunder." From the Pustaka Raja (The Book of Kings of Java) comes the following account: "The whole world was greatly shaken and violent thundering, accompanied by heavy rain and storms took place, but not only did not this heavy rain extinguish the eruption of the fire of the mountain Kapi, but augmented the fire; the noise was fearful, at last the mountain Kapi with a tremendous roar burst into pieces and sank into the deepest of the earth. The water of the sea rose and inundated the land, the country to the east of the mountain Batuwara, to the mountain Raja Basa, was inundated by the sea; the inhabitants of the northern part of the Sunda country to the mountain Raja Basa were drowned and swept away with all property " Ken Wohletz of the Los Alamos National Laboratory has done far greater work on the actual volcanic eruption than I could possibly summarize. (And he has some nice graphics.) I would strongly recomend that if you wish to examine his review of the scientific expedition led by Haraldur Sigurdsson to the area, check out this web page: http://www.ees1.lanl.gov/Wohletz/Krakatau.htm last revised: November 11, 2003  Back

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