Bronze Drum in Selangor (Malaysia): The Motif and Significance from Archaeological Perspective

摘要

This study focuses on the bronze drums found in Selangor, Malaysia. Besides being found in this country, bronze drums are also found in several other locations in Southeast Asia, among them Vietnam, China, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Indonesia. The discovery of bronze drums in Selangor raised questions about when and how it spread the meaning or philosophy behind the decorative motifs, the function and the extent of its relationship with the local people. This study therefore, employed literature review, typology and lab analysis through the XRF technique on selected samples. Result of the study showed that the motifs displayed on the bronze drums found in Selangor are the stereotype of the bronze drum from the Heger I type, which is a type of bronze drum found in Dongson, Vietnam. This is based on the drawings of the motifs and decorative patterns displayed on the bronze drums' tympanum, among them the star motif, triangle motif, stair motif, tangential circle motif, alphabet motif, bird motif, frog motif and so on. The motifs displayed are manifestations associated with the activities of life of the people from the Late Prehistoric period in Southeast Asia. The widespread distribution of bronze drum findings is a result of the various functions of the bronze drum either as a ritual object, status symbol, trade object, burial object and so on. This object is believed to have spread in Selangor through maritime trade activities based on its discovery close to tin-rich areas.