Behavioural Archaeology: The Process of Sacralising Megalithic Landscapes into Archaeological Sites (Case Study of the Nagara Padang Site, Ciwidey, Bandung, West Java)

Rr. Triwurjani

Cultural practices as part of the human behavioural system enable an understanding of the process of landscape transformation into archaeological sites. The Nagara Padang site, located in Rawa Bogo Village, Ciwidey District, Bandung Regency, West Java, features large rocks (menhirs, dolmens, monoliths, etc.) in a megalithic mountainous landscape. Since around 1877, the local community has considered this site sacred, using it for self-reflection, contemplation, and rituals such as sireh cei becek (honouring water sources) and miasih bumi nagara (honouring ancestors), even though the community has embraced Islam. Although not yet registered as a cultural heritage site because it is not considered an archaeological relic, the similarity of the rituals to megalithic traditions raises an interesting question: how does contemporary behaviour shape ‘sites’ amid social change? This study applies Schiffer's behavioural archaeology approach to analyse how natural landscapes are sanctified through cultural practices, thereby forming potential archaeological relics. The findings imply that sites such as this in West Java can be interpreted as a prehistoric heritage that is still alive in contemporary ideology as a continuing tradition.