Early Historical Settlement of the South Sumatran Peneplain: The Case of Bumiayu

Véronique Degroot1*, Agustijanto Indradjaja2, Sondang M. Siregar2, Ari Mukti Wardoyo Adi2, Yusmaini Eriawati2, and Yohan Chabot3

In South Sumatra, the settlement of the peneplain has long been associated with the development of the Srivijaya polity (7th – 13th c.). Ruling from lowland urban centres in Palembang and Jambi, the kings of Srivijaya controlled waterway traffic via a series of outposts established in strategic locations along the Musi and Batang Hari Rivers. The recent French Indonesian excavations in Bumiayu have unearthed faint traces of a pre-Srivijayan occupation of the site, suggesting the existence of a more ancient trade network. Topographic surveys of the area surrounding the temples have revealed the existence of small hydraulic structures that maximized the benefits of the annual floods by increasing arable land and/or extending the recession farming season. This new data changes the game, suggesting on the one hand that Srivijaya took over a pre-existing exchange network and, on the other hand, that certain outposts were much more than warehouses and traffic control points, housing a larger population than previously suggested by historical models.