ABSTRACT
Archaeological research in Singapore began in 1984. In the 30 years that followed, hundreds of thousands of artefacts have been unearthed from the pre-Raffles period. The Temasek era (AD 1300–1600) of Singapore’s existence was more than 100 years longer than the current post-Raffles period of occupation (1819 to present).
Historical records on the Temasek period consist of the Malay Annals (Sejarah Malayu), a chronicle written in 1612; Chinese references in Yuan dynasty records, a provincial gazetteer and early Ming records of the Zheng He voyages; a claim to suzerainty by the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit in 1365; and references in Portuguese sources. A Singaporean source probably written in the fourteenth century once existed (a long stone inscription) but was destroyed in the early colonial period.
Archaeological research has yielded abundant evidence that a thriving and prosperous settlement arose around 1300. Interest in the precolonial period has recently increased, ironically in part due to national introspection connected with the discussion about how to commemorate the arrival of Raffles and the East India Company in Singapore in January 1819.
