The 12th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists (EurASEAA) was held in Leiden from 1 to 5 September 2008. It was organized by the International Institute for Asian Studies (HAS) in collaboration with the University of Leiden and the National Museum of Ethnology (Universiteit Leiden; Museum Volkenkunde). The organizing committee consisted of Marajke Klokke, Pieter ter Kers, Martina Van den Haak and Karina Van de Weterink.

The meeting participants were welcomed by the Director of HAS M. Sparreboom and M. Klokke. The conference was organized in 37 sections. A total of 106 reports were read on various aspects of the history and archeology of Southeast Asia. The conference was attended by more than 150 scientists from different countries of the world, including Russia, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, India and Southeast Asian countries.

The largest number of reports were devoted to Indonesia, Cambodia, and prehistoric, primarily Neolithic, Southeast Asian societies. On September 3, several sections were allocated in a special block in honor of one of the largest organizers of science and specialists in the prehistoric era - Ian Glaver. Unfortunately, the author of the review did not manage to attend all the meetings, as at least three sections were working simultaneously. Therefore, we analyze the reports and reports that the author of the review participated in discussing.

On the first day of the conference, the sections "Trade Items", "Prehistory - miscellaneous", "Burials in Upper Burma", "Art History - miscellaneous" and "Indonesia"were held.

In the report by J. Lankton (UK), L. Dussibier (USA) and Bunyarit Chaisuvan (Thailand) " Early Glass in Southeast Asia: the end of history?" the question of the origin of the glass objects found in the region was discussed: were they of local or foreign production, and where did the raw materials for their manufacture come from? Based on the chemical analysis of the glass found (largely based on the results of excavations of Khlon Thom, located on the western coast of the Thai part of the Malacca Peninsula), it was concluded that between the third century BC and the second century AD, local glass production was replaced by imports from other countries. The main, though far from the only, source of them was South Asia.

Kuan Zhen Chang's report "International Trade, Local tastes: Social aspects of the Ceramics trade in Late Prehistoric - early modern Societies of the Southeast Asian Region" provided a rather haphazard overview of various ceramic finds, combined with an attempt to prove that each region of the region imported only what it liked. At the same time, the speaker told about the excavations of the Calatagan burial ground in the south-west of the island of Luzon, Philippines.

The topic of the report by Ali Akbar (Indonesia) is the development of the Buni material culture from the 2nd millennium BC to the end of the 1st millennium AD (Buni complex). The Buni culture, in his opinion, covered most of West Java, excluding the southern coast of the island. If in the prehistoric era the main objects of this culture were mainly ceramic products, glass and stone beads, jewelry and megaliths, then in the historical period temples, statues of Vishnu, Shiva lingams, inscriptions on terracotta and a golden Buddhist triptych, images of people and animals are added to them. The transition from prehistoric to historical dates back to about the middle of the 1st millennium AD. Ali Akbar was asked many questions. First, what distinguishes the Buni culture from others and can it be spread to the whole of West Java?;-

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For example, on what basis do terracotas date back to such an early era? - on the contrary, they are very similar to the later Majapahit monuments discovered during excavations of its capital Trovulana (East Java). Akbar's answers to these questions were not entirely convincing, he only emphasized that there are noticeable similarities between the objects found in the West Java region. Pierre-Yves Mangin (France), a leading specialist in Southeast Asian archaeology, noted that the only reliable criterion for identifying the Buni culture is ceramics. The Batujaya monument in West Java, which he excavated, does not show any traces of prehistory, so it is rather difficult to judge such a broad evolution as the speaker would like. To another question from Ali Akbar: "In what context was' rouletted ceramics ' discovered?" "he said it was in the burials. This caused sharp objections from Mangan, who stressed that such a pattern cannot be deduced with all the desire, rather this type of ceramics can only be found by chance in burials.

In the report by Yu. Forestier and D. Guillot (France) presented the results of an archaeological study of the Manatuto area in East Timor. In the prehistoric settlement discovered there, the heart of which was the limestone ridge Khatu Vakik ("big stone"), drawings with geometric ornaments made in red ochre were found. Numerous choppers (flaked stone tools), scrapers, chisels, and incisors were found. The settlement dates back to the 5th-3rd millennium BC.

On September 2, the following sections were held: "Neolithic societies", "Cultural Exchange", "Archeology of Sumatra", "Indonesia-miscellaneous", "Buddhism in Angkor", "Khmer Art", "Archeology of the Philippines".

V. Roveda (Great Britain) studied Buddhist iconography of Hindu temples in Angkor. From his point of view, temples such as Bantsai Samre, Chau Sai Tevoda, Tomanon and Beng Melea were originally Buddhist. Roveda comes to this conclusion on the basis of visual inspection of temples and comparison of iconography with the literary tradition, first of all with the "Vessantara Jataka". Images of the Buddha sitting on a throne, under a Buddha tree, or in meditation have come down to us in a damaged form, as the "iconoclastic" movement took place in Angkor. The question of the date of these ruins, the time of construction of the temples, and the nature of the Angkor religion in the light of the Buddhist nature of the monuments mentioned above is left to Roved for future research.

P. Sharrock's report "The Khmer Tantric Pantheon" (Great Britain) examined the question of the transition to Buddhism between 1182 and 1218. The iconography of Bayon in comparison with the most diverse architectural and iconographic traditions suggests a connection of some of its images with Avalokiteshvara. Nine inscriptions mention the main (crighana) deities of the Khmer tantric pantheon, Vajrasattva and Hevajra.

D. Perret and H. Surahman (both from Indonesia) reported on the excavations of Si Pamutung on the Padang Lavas plateau (North Sumatra) in 2006-2008. From the results of the archaeological survey of Padang Lavas, the findings of eleven inscriptions made in four different fonts stand out: Nagari, Old Javanese, Batak and Old Tamil. The three texts have dates that allow us to attribute them to the XI, XII and XIV centuries. Buildings were found, including those of the temple type. Of the 24 settlements discovered, only one was located far from the river, which indicates the important role of waterways in the medieval history of Sumatra. One of the temples dates from about the X-XIV centuries. Archaeologists have found statues of the monsters makar, apsara, sitting lion. Si Pamutung is the most thoroughly studied object. It covers an area of 13 hectares, surrounded by an earthen wall, the height of which reaches 4 m. The remains of a 5x5 m brick and stone building have been excavated. A special feature of construction equipment is the construction of a building without a foundation. Free-standing pillars and Chinese ceramics were found. Perret and Surahman suggested that Padang Lavas had a vibrant maritime trade and possibly gold mining. The latter thesis, however, is still only a hypothesis.

The report of A. O. Zakharov (Russia)" Inscriptions of Srivijaya: internal structure and historical reality " offered an analysis of the so-called texts of the oath of the ancient Malay polity of Srivijaya. They show that they have an internal structure: an introduction in an unknown language, an appeal to the deities or notification of subjects, a list of precedents - various offenses for which the offender should be cursed; a wish for the good of loyal subjects and dating. The question of the possible use of inscriptions as a source for the administrative structure of Srivijaya was also investigated. The speaker came to the conclusion that today the epigraphy data can be used both in the literature and in the literature.-

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both to refute the hypothesis of the existence of an administrative apparatus in Srivi Jaya.

Pauline Lugsingh Scherle (Netherlands) in her report "Images of Javanese local deities" hypothesized that Javanese people long before the Majapahit era (XIV-XV centuries) deified deceased ancestors, primarily rulers. Since the 9th century, their statues were made of stone and metal. A specific iconographic feature of this group of statues should be considered, according to the researcher, the position of the hands on the stomach, in which one palm is turned up, and the other is either simply clenched into a fist,or holds an object in the fist, and the second palm is placed over the open first. Often the images of deified ancestors took the form of the Hindu couple Shiva and Parvati, but sometimes they were embodied in Buddhist or other Hindu images (Manjushri, Vishnu, Shiva without Parvati).

Timbul Haryono (Indonesia) spoke about the recently excavated Chandi Kedulan Hindu temple in the Prambanan temple complex in Central Java. Next to it, smaller temples were found, which corresponds to the usual ancient Javanese temple layout. They were discovered in situ (and are still there) statues of the gods: Ganesha - in the west, Durga Mahishasura-mardini-in the north, Agastya-in the south and linga-yoni - in the main room of the temple. During the excavations, two inscriptions of the same content were discovered, written in the letter "later Pal-lava" in Sanskrit and dating back to 791 of the Shaka era, i.e. 869 AD. They were named Pa-nanggaran and Sumudul (during the discussion of the report, it was suggested that in reality we have one inscription in two copies). According to Haryono, these inscriptions refer to the base of the temple, the stratigraphy of which has fifteen layers. It was located at a depth of six meters from the surface, hidden by volcanic ash from one of the eruptions of Mount Merapi.

On September 3, ten sections were held: "Prehistoric Burial Research", "Prehistoric Burial Networks", "Monument Preservation", "State Formation", "Historical Arts and Crafts", "Central Java: Borobudur", "West Java: Batujaya", "Java: Narrative Art", " Java: Cultural exchange", "East Java".

M. Klokke investigated the construction phases of Borobudur based on a stylistic analysis of the monuments and reliefs of the temple.

In the joint report by F. Lavigne, C. Gomez (both from France) and W. Degraw (Netherlands) considered the paleoclimatology (paleo-environment) of Borobudur. The hypothesis put forward by Dutch researcher Nieuwenkamp about the location of this famous temple ensemble on an island in the middle of a lake should be rejected based on the study of the geological deposits known to date. Aerial photography combined with climatological data suggests only the existence of a significant volume of waterways of natural origin, which could give grounds for concluding that the temple is surrounded by water. But these waterways are not connected in a single network.

Agustijanto Indrajaya (Indonesia) made a presentation on votive tablets from Batujaya, a West Java settlement east of Jakarta on the north bank of the Chitarum River, six kilometers from the current coastline. These objects represent either a seated Buddha or stupas - smaller copies of a traditional structure of Buddhist architecture. They were made, as a rule, from clay, but there are examples of votive inscriptions on a gold ingot. The dating of the finds in Batujaya seems to vary between the seventh and eighth centuries.

In the report of U. Southworth (UK) the dating of the Mi Son A. 1 temple in Champa was discussed. Having considered the historiography of the theme from A. Parmentier to M. Vickery, the researcher based on the analysis of archaeological materials and art history data came to the conclusion that the temple was built between 1025 and 1125.

The report of J. R. R. Tolkien Wisseman Christie (Great Britain) It was dedicated to the political history of Java according to the Vanua Tengah III inscription, although it was called "Under the Volcano: state Formation and Stabilization in Early Java".

Pierre-Yves Mangin (France), in his report "Region-wide Responses to the Indian Contribution to Southeast Asia", summarized all the archaeological evidence for the "Indianization" of the region in the first half of the 1st millennium AD. These include "fine" and "coarse" ceramics (fine and coarse wares), temple architecture, and types of sculptural monuments. images of a Hindu-Buddhist nature, Buddhist votive tablets, writing (early and later Pallava). How do we explain this unity of style, especially evident in the photographs presented by Mangan? Who were you

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agents of "Indianization"? The speaker considered these issues unsolvable to date. He suggested that the "Indianization" of Southeast Asia should be studied in comparison with the "san-scritization" of South India, which Sheldon Polock wrote about the complex process, as well as in comparison with the later Islamization of the Malay world. When asked about Chinese influence in Southeast Asia, Mangan said that his excavations of Ok-Yeo in South Vietnam did not reveal any traces of Chinese culture. He also expressed the curious idea that during the period of Indianization, "trade was religious" in nature.

In the report of J. R. R. Tolkien, An attempt was made to establish some links between Java and the Chalukya kingdom of India. Hariani Santiko's report "Honoring Bhima in Chandi Sukih" (Indonesia) was devoted to reconstructing the role of this hero in the ancient Javanese pantheon. According to Santico, Bhima was perceived not as a god, but as a hero and intermediary between ordinary people and deities.

On September 4, five sections were held: "Archaeology of the Kra Isthmus", "Northeast Thailand"," Shiva's Footprints in Cambodia"," Burma "and"Maritime Southeast Asia".

B. Bellina (France) and Praon Silapant (Thailand) reported on four seasons of excavations at Khao Sam Kaeo, Chumphon, Thailand. This settlement, located on four hills, existed in the IV-II centuries BC, according to radiocarbon dating. It played an important role in inter-regional trade. Excavations have shown the existence of a certain stage of urbanization: walls and evidence of handicraft production have been found (metal products are found only on the hills, while between them, in the valleys, they are not). The speakers even believe that it is possible to talk about "centralization" in the history of Ka Sam Keo, but during the discussion, the shakiness of their argument was noted: researchers draw this conclusion based on data on craft production. However, their report contained interesting information about the Indian influence in Ka Sam Kaew, primarily visible in ceramics. Some elements of ornaments and Indian beliefs are borrowed. This makes us revisit the study of the "Indianization" of Southeast Asia, which is usually dated to the first half of the 1st millennium AD.

Five more reports were read about the Ka Sam Keo monument. P. Silapant (Thailand) and her colleagues in the report "Integration of Ka Sam Keo into the trans-Asian network" studied the question of the oldest routes through the Malacca Peninsula in its Thai part. Researchers believe that one of the trade routes from the west to the east of the peninsula passed through Ka Sam Keo. K. Castillo (Great Britain) reported preliminary results of paleobotanical analysis of plants found in Ka Sam Keo, including cereals. F. Bouvet (France) proposed a technological analysis of the Indian and Indian style ceramics found in Ka Sam Keo. M. Murillo, T. O. Price and M. Martinon-Torres (all from Great Britain) studied metal objects from the excavations of Ka Sam Keo. S. Perone (France) focused on Chinese, more precisely Han, objects found on the monument. Her report contained material that allowed her to establish the connection of Ka Sam Keo with the Canton (Guanzhou).

E. Bourdonot (France) analyzed the use of the term kamprateng jagat in the inscriptions of ancient Cambodia. In contrast to the accepted interpretation of this concept as "lords of the world", Bourdonot suggests interpreting it as "god of the clan"," god of the earth"," local deity "or"deity of the place".

Zh. Det Tan (France) turned to the study of the connecting particle ta in the old Khmer language using the example of the turnover kamrateng jagat ta rajya. Following S. Pu (Roi), he believes that this term means "god of the king/kingdom". Det Tach states that each god had a favorite or favorite among the gods, chosen by the king himself, and the term in question refers to this deity. The epigraphist considers the term devaraja to be synonymous with kamrateng jagat ta rajya.

A. E. Kirichenko (Russia) in his report "Epigraphic data on Buddhist manuscripts and the development of textual Buddhism in Myanmar between 1100 and 1500" revealed noticeable fluctuations in the interest of Burmese elites in the patronage of Buddhist texts (periods of growth in 1220-1280 and after 1430, moderate activity in the XII and first half of the XIV centuries, a sharp decline since the second half of the 14th century), as well as changes in the geographical distribution and social characteristics of patrons of text Buddhism. Another trend of development reflected in the inscriptions was the shift from using manuscripts as objects of worship to more active study and professional transmission.

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On September 5, the sections "Khmer Kingdom", "Bronze and Iron Age", "Jugs of mainland Southeast Asia", "Dvaravati", "Thai Art", "Historical Burma and Thailand", "Laos and Vietnam", "Champa", "China-Southeast Asian Relations", "Malaysia: Sarawak".

A.-V. Schweyer (France) reconstructed the history of Khmer-Cham relations in the XII-XIII centuries.

G. Barker (Great Britain) spoke about a project to study the rainforest in Sarawak, primarily in the Kelabit Highlands. More than 50 archaeological sites have been discovered, including settlements and megalithic structures. Based on radiocarbon analysis, the monuments date from the beginning of the 1st millennium BC to the middle of the 2nd millennium AD.

Summing up the results of the conference, M. Klokke noted its important contribution to the study of Southeast Asia. The next conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists will be held in Berlin in 2010.

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