S35-9

Log Coffin Burials in the Archaeological Record of the Philippines

Jacqueline Chua1, Anna Pineda1,2, Don Matthews3

1University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines

2Silliman University, Philippines

3Australian National University, Australia

The use of wooden coffins in the Philippines prior to European colonization may be associated with the protohistoric period (10th CE to 16th CE). This supports the Austronesian theory that the use of log wooden coffins in the Philippines occurred at around the same time as those recorded in Sabah, Borneo, and correlated with the beginning of the practice. This paper reviews Philippine archaeological sites with reported evidence of wooden coffin burials in association with stoneware jar burial practices. Most of the sites are located close to bodies of water, such as the ocean, estuaries, and riversides. Overall, the data is indicative of the Southeast Asian maritime trading networks, showing a continuity of active exchanges between the Visayan islands, Palawan, and parts of the Mindanao coastline. This is apparent not only through the interment method but also through the associated grave goods. Relative dates based on associated tradeware and other traded materials suggest that the coffin burial sites in the Philippines are only a few hundred years apart from those in Niah and other caves in Sarawak, with stylistic analysis suggesting similar traits as those found in the Mae Hong Song Valley, Thailand. While some associated artefacts suggest coffin use in the Philippines as early as the Neolithic, this remains inconclusive due to poor preservation, lack of information regarding interment methods at the time of excavation, and consequently poor scrutiny of burial taphonomy. The rise in popularity of stoneware jars as material for secondary burial suggests the possibility that burial practices were being commodified, possibly due to higher access to trade materials.