Tambora culture

Coordinates: 8°15′S 118°00′E / 8.25°S 118°E / -8.25; 118
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tambora is a lost village and culture on Sumbawa Island buried by volcanic ash and pyroclastic flows from the massive 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora. The village had about 10,000 residents. Scientists unearthing the site have discovered ceramic pots, bronze bowls, glass bottles, and homes and villagers buried by ash in a manner similar to that of Pompeii. The language of the culture was wiped out. The language appears to have been an isolate, the last survivor of the pre-Austronesian languages of central Indonesia. The village was visited by western explorers shortly before its demise. It is believed to have traded with Indochina, as Tambora pottery resembles that found in Vietnam.

2004 work

In summer 2004, a team from the

archaeological dig in Tambora.[1]
Over six weeks, the team unearthed the first evidence of a lost culture that had been obliterated by the Tambora eruption. The site is located about 25 km (15.5 mi) west of the caldera, deep in the jungle, 5 km (3 mi) from the shore. The team had to cut through a deposit of volcanic pumice and ash 3 m (10 ft) thick.

The team used a

sappan wood for producing red dye,[5] and sandalwood used for incense and medications.[1]
The area was thought to be highly productive agriculturally.

The archaeological findings suggest that there was a culture on Sumbawa that was wiped out by the 1815 eruption. The title Lost Kingdom of Tambora was coined by media.[6][7] With this discovery, Sigurðsson had planned to return to Tambora in 2007 to search for the rest of the villages, and hopefully to find a palace.[1][needs update]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "URI volcanologist discovers lost kingdom of Tambora" (Press release). University of Rhode Island. 27 February 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  2. ^ "'Pompeii of the East' discovered". BBC News. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  3. ^ "Indonesian Volcano Site Reveals 'Pompeii of the East' (Update1)". Bloomberg Asia. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  4. ^ Jong Boers, B.D. de (2007), 'The 'Arab' of the Indonesian Archipelago: The Famed Horse Breeds of Sumbawa' in: Greg Bankoff and Sandra Swart (eds), Breeds of Empire: The 'invention' of the horse in Southern Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia, 1500–1950. Copenhagen: NIAS Press, pp. 51–64.
  5. ^ Jong Boers, BD de (1997), 'Sustainability and time perspective in natural resource management: The exploitation of sappan trees in the forests of Sumbawa, Indonesia (1500–1875)’, in Peter Boomgaard, Freek Colombijn en David Henley (eds), Paper landscapes; Explorations in the environmental history of Indonesia. Leiden: KITLV Press, pp. 260–81.
  6. ^ "'Lost Kingdom' Discovered on Volcanic Island in Indonesia". National Geographic. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  7. ^ "'Lost kingdom' springs from the ashes". International Herald Tribune. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.

External links

8°15′S 118°00′E / 8.25°S 118°E / -8.25; 118

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