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Dong Son drums from Timor-Leste: prehistoric bronze artefacts in Island Southeast Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2019

Nuno Vasco Oliveira ,
Sue O'Connor  and
Peter Bellwood
Nuno Vasco Oliveira
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
Sue O'Connor*
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
Peter Bellwood
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology and Anthropology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence (Email: sue.oconnor@anu.edu.au)
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Abstract

Prehistoric copper and bronze objects are found throughout Island Southeast Asia, many of which were manufactured in Mainland Southeast Asia and exchanged over vast distances. The contexts of initial metal use and production across this maritime region are poorly known and rarely dated—particularly in the islands east of Wallace's Line. The authors report on two recent finds of bronze Dong Son drums in Timor-Leste, which, with their incised decoration, are examined in the context of elaborately shaped socketed axes depicted in the island's rock art, discussing their role and significance for understanding exchange networks and practices including raiding, headhunting and ceremonial activities.

Keywords

Island Southeast AsiaTimor-LesteMetal AgeDong Son drumsbronze axes
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 93 , Issue 367 , February 2019 , pp. 163 - 180
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2019 

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