S9-2

Prehistorical Research on Bawean Island, East Java, Indonesia

M. Dziyaul F. Arrozain1, Alifah2, Iling Khairil Anwar3, Sandy Dwi Kurnia4

1Department Archaeology, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

2Research Center for Archaeometry, BRIN, Indonesia

3Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Kabupaten Gresik, Indonesia

4Independent Researcher, Indonesia

Bawean is a small island in the middle of the Java Sea, with a strategic position between Kalimantan to the north and Java to the south. Bawean’s archaeological and historical significance is reflected in the numerous Islamic and Colonial cultural remains, which has shown that the island played an important role during these periods. However, a recent excavation and survey conducted by the Bawean Prehistoric Research Team (BPRT) has produced important new evidence of prehistoric cultural remains on Bawean, especially stone artifacts, such as lithic cores, flake-blade tools, quadrangular adzes, and hundreds of fragments of stone debitage. Moreover, the research also identified possible stone raw material sources on Bawean Island. This paper describes the outcomes of the BPRT project. The results indicate that Bawean was inhabited during prehistory, with a concentration of materials dating to the pre-Neolithic culture era.