Trowulan
Trowulan
Indonesia · East Java
In brief
Trowulan is an extensive urban site associated with the remains of the Majapahit capital. Residential, production and water management remains have been excavated; the given coordinate belongs to the Candi Minak Jinggo ruins within the complex.
What was found?
- 1Terracotta money boxes
Numerous pig-shaped money boxes with coin slots on top were found around Trowulan. They document everyday objects used for saving money.
- 2Terracotta human figurines
Figurines depicting different people were recovered from the city. They are important for studying representational art of the Majapahit period.
- 3Production molds
Sculpture molds and clay tools used in metal production were found. They provide tangible evidence of craft activities in the city.
- 4Terracotta water pipes
Architectural components include water pipes and water outlets. They show that water in the city was managed through structures and channels.
- 5Local and imported ceramics
The plates, bowls, and vases include locally and foreign-made examples. They allow the city's consumption and external connections to be investigated.
What does it point to?
Trowulan was a city with areas for production, markets, worship, and water management alongside its residences. Money boxes indicate everyday money use, molds indicate craft production, and imported ceramics indicate external connections.
What did it teach us?
- Enabled Majapahit urban life to be investigated through houses, production areas, and markets together.
- Showed that canals and water reservoirs were important parts of the urban layout.
- Documented the use of terracotta in both everyday objects and building fittings.
Images
Record
- Culture
- Majapahit
- Coordinates
- -7.5584°, 112.3863°
Sources
- whc.unesco.org
- brill.com
- budaya.data.kemdikbud.go.id
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Trowulan kumbaralarına ilişkin koleksiyon açıklaması
Nearby excavations
- Sangiran Early Man Site 174 km
- Leang Bulu Bettue 854 km
- Liang Bua Cave 894 km
- Oc Eo–Ba The Archaeological Site 2,137 km
- Madjedbebe Rock Shelter 2,310 km
- Sambor Prei Kuk 2,412 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
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The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
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Türkiye
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