S19-3

The Evolution of the Word "Kota" as a Construction Technique in the Philippines

Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines

In many Southeast Asian countries, the word "kota", means a city. The meaning of the kota however, evolved in the Philippines as something related to early forms of fortification or a watchtower – this is at the height of piratical activities in areas of the southern Philippines that share borders with Malaysia and Indonesia. Later, the pre-colonial notion of kota would further develop as a form of rubble construction known in the Philippines as "kuta". This type of crude construction was improved when it was faced with cut stones in the colonial period, but even with this development, kuta the construction technique persisted, as seen among many structures built in the Philippine Spanish Colonial Period. This paper seeks to present the word kota as used in various Asian countries and its evolution as a pre-colonial construction technique in the Philippines, by tracing its roots in neighbouring Asian countries and beyond.