학술논문
Rock art and frontier conflict in Southeast Asia: Insights from direct radiocarbon ages for the large human figures of Gua Sireh, Sarawak.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Huntley J; Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast & Nathan, Queensland, Australia.; Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast & Nathan, Queensland, Australia.; Taçon PSC; Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast & Nathan, Queensland, Australia.; Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, Griffith Centre for Social & Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.; Jalandoni A; Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast & Nathan, Queensland, Australia.; Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, Griffith Centre for Social & Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.; Petchey F; Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Te Aka Mātuatua-School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.; Dotte-Sarout E; School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Archaeology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.; William MSS; Sarawak Museum Department, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Source
Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Gua Sireh, located in western Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), is known for its rock art. The cave houses hundreds of charcoal drawings depicting people, often with headdresses, knives and other accoutrements. Here, we present direct radiocarbon dates and pigment characterizations from charcoal drawings of two large (>75 cm), unique Gua Sireh human figures (anthropomorphs). To our knowledge, these are the first chronometric ages generated for Malaysian rock art, providing insights into the social contexts of art production, as well as the opportunities and challenges of dating rock art associated with the Malay/Austronesian diasporas in Southeast Asia more generally. Previous archaeological excavations revealed that people occupied Gua Sireh from around 20,000 years ago to as recently as AD 1900. The site is within Bidayuh territory, and these local Indigenous peoples recall the cave's use as a refuge during territorial violence in the early 1800s. The age of the drawings, dated between 280 and 120 cal BP (AD 1670 to 1830), corresponds with a period of increasing conflict when the Malay elites controlling the region exacted heavy tolls on the local hill tribes. We discuss rock art production at Gua Sireh in this context of frontier conflict and Bidayuh resistance.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist
(Copyright: © 2023 Huntley et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist
(Copyright: © 2023 Huntley et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)