Recent archaeological discoveries in Sungai Mas, Kedah. Nik Hassan Suhaimi bin Nik Abd. Rahman and Kamaruddin bin Zakaria
Nik Hassan Shuhaimi bin Nik Abd. Rahman and Kamaruddin bin Zakaria (1993) report on the archaeological discoveries at Kampung Sungai Mas, Kuala Muda, Kedah, which since 1980 have fundamentally challenged the prevailing view—established by Alastair Lamb in the 1960s—that the Muda River Valley only came to prominence after the 14th century A.D. The article documents a range of finds including a 5th/6th-century Sanskrit Buddhist inscription, a life-size Buddha head, and extensive ceramic and bead assemblages that push the site’s antiquity back to the early first millennium.
Summary
The article addresses a historiographical gap in Bujang Valley archaeology. Prior to 1980, research had concentrated on the Sungai Bujang banks, influenced by Lamb’s thesis that the Muda Valley and areas to the south were peripheral before the 14th century. The authors argue this view overlooked earlier evidence, including three Buddhist inscriptions recovered in the 1840s (Cherok Tokun, Bukit Meriam, and Buddha Gupta) and Quaritch-Wales’s 1936–37 reports of gold belt fragments and a stupa basement at Guar Kepah. The accidental discovery of thousands of ceramic sherds, glass, and beads during irrigation canal construction in 1980 redirected scholarly attention to Sungai Mas.
The article then catalogues the major finds: a Sanskrit Buddhist inscription on a shale block (46cm × 23cm) bearing a “ye te mantra” formula, dated stylistically to the 5th/6th century; a life-size Buddha head in green shale with snail curls and a flat usnisa; a votive tablet with a seated Buddha relief; a standing goddess (probably Hariti) carrying a child; and an orange-glazed water-pot. Subsequent excavations—led in 1981 by Nik Hassan, followed by Leong Sau Heng, Kamaruddin Zakaria, and the 2nd Intra-Asean Archaeological Excavation and Conservation in 1985—culminated in the major 1991 project at Site 32, a multi-disciplinary investigation of approximately one hectare involving geo-physicists, geomorphologists, soil scientists, geologists, and botanists alongside archaeologists from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
The ceramic assemblage is particularly significant, comprising local earthenwares with sophisticated paddle and incised decorations, Chinese wares from the T’ang (618–906) and Song (960–1279) dynasties, and Middle Eastern dark-green/blue glazed sherds ascribable to the 8th–10th centuries. The bead collection—glass, gemstone, bone, and gold, in capped, cylinder, ring, pyramid, and multi-faceted forms—is the largest yet recovered in the Bujang Valley and closely resembles the assemblage from Kuala Selinsing (c. 200 B.C.–10th century A.D.). Augering to 320cm revealed sandy soil mixed with broken Anadara granosa at 180cm, suggesting the settlement evolved from a coastal mangrove swamp environment.
Key Findings
- The Sungai Mas Buddhist inscription (46cm × 23cm shale block) bears a Sanskrit “ye te mantra” formula and is dated to the 5th/6th century A.D. on stylistic grounds (p. 75).
- The 1991 excavation at Site 32 (Lot 735/736, PA 26611; Latitude 100°22’30”E, Longitude 5°35’15”N) covered approximately 1 hectare with 92 boxes of 2m × 2m, excavated to an average of 40cm and up to 230cm in two boxes (p. 78).
- Chinese ceramic sherds are predominantly T’ang Dynasty (A.D. 618–906) and Song Dynasty (A.D. 960–1279) types, including Yueh stoneware, Lung-chuan celadon, and Qing-pai (p. 78).
- Middle Eastern dark-green/blue glazed sherds are ascribed to the 8th–10th centuries, predating the splashed-sgraffiate wares found at Pengkalan Bujang Sites 21 and 22 (p. 78).
- Augering to 320cm depth revealed sandy soil mixed with broken Anadara granosa at approximately 180cm, indicating a former coastal mangrove swamp environment (p. 80).
- The bead assemblage (glass, gemstone, bone, gold) is the largest recovered in the Bujang Valley and closely resembles the Kuala Selinsing collection dated c. 200 B.C.–10th century A.D. (p. 80).
Conclusion
The authors conclude that Sungai Mas is among the oldest sites in the Bujang Valley, with evidence pointing to a settlement that evolved from a coastal mangrove swamp environment. They caution that the project is long-term and that conclusive interpretations must await further excavation, but the current evidence challenges the Lamb thesis and suggests the Muda Valley’s proto-historic significance extends well before the 14th century.
Context
- The article draws on excavation records from the Department of Museums and the 2nd Intra-Asean Archaeological Excavation and Conservation (1985), as well as earlier Quaritch-Wales reports (1936–37, 1941).
- Historiographically, the piece represents a corrective to Alastair Lamb’s 1961 framework, which had marginalised the Muda Valley in favour of the Sungai Bujang axis, and it documents the shift in research focus that began with the 1980 accidental discoveries.