The Kalanay Cave is a small cave located on the
island of Masbate in the central
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. The cave is located specifically at the northwest coast of the island within the municipality of
Aroroy. The artifacts recovered from the site were similar to those found to the
Sa Huynh culture of
Southern Vietnam
Southern Vietnam () is one of the three geographical regions of Vietnam, the other two being Northern and Central Vietnam. It includes 2 administrative subregions, which in turn are divided into 19 ''First Tier units'', of which 17 are provi ...
. The site is part of the "Sa Huynh-Kalanay Interaction Sphere" which was an
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
maritime trading network associated with the
Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Southeast Asia, parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melan ...
of the Philippines, Vietnam,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, as well as most of northeastern
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
and
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bo ...
. The type of pottery found in the site were dated 400 BC to AD 1500.
The "Sa Huynh-Kalanay Interaction Sphere" is characterized by a remarkable continuity in trade goods, including decorated pottery and double-headed pendants and earrings known as ''
lingling-o
''Lingling-o'' or ''ling-ling-o'' are a type of penannular or double-headed pendant or amulet that have been associated with various Late Neolithic to late Iron Age Austronesian cultures. Most ''lingling-o'' were made in jade workshops in the ...
''.
Background
Examination of some pottery from the
Carl E. Guthe Collection developed the idea of the Kalanay pottery complex.
[Solheim, William. Further Notes on the Kalanay Pottery Complex in the P.I.. retrieved from http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/16643/AP-v3n2-157-166.pdf] The cave was first excavated in 1951 and considerable
disturbances were noted pre-excavation. In 1935, there was an earthquake which led to portions of the cave's roof to fall down and pottery scattered around the cave.
[Solheim, William G. Archaeology of Central Philippines: a study chiefly on the iron age and its relationships. Manila: Bureau of Print, 1964.] Excavation of the site was finished in 1953.
Kalanay pottery assemblage
The pottery excavated from the site was divided into varieties, Kalanay and Bagupantao pottery. The pottery also showed great variations in size, shape and decoration. Some of which are plain, while some are incised with tools.
Common decoration patterns found around the neck of the pottery are curvilinear scrolls, rectangular meanders, triangles, etc.
The paste used for the Kalanay pottery was of typical blackish gray color while Bagupantao pottery was of red-brown and was much finer than in Kalanay. Though after microscopic inspection, their paste are fundamentally the same. Most of the jars were probably for storage or cooking and some were used as ritual bowls.
There are several interpretations for the relationship of Kalanay and Bagupantao pottery:
:(1) two distinct pottery traditions were brought together within one pottery-making community.
:(2) two pottery groups were made by the same potters but for different functions, which could explain the difference in quality and decorations.
:(3) they were made by the same potters for two different classes.
Other findings
Other artifacts found in the cave were stone, shell, glass and metal artifacts. Two out of the seven stone artifacts were polished. The glass artifact is a portion of a blue glass bead. Iron and bronze artifacts were found in the site. The iron artifacts excavated were probably used as weapons.
There were also skeletal remains found in the site but due to their fragmentary condition, not much information was obtained.
See also
*
Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Southeast Asia, parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melan ...
*
Lingling-o
''Lingling-o'' or ''ling-ling-o'' are a type of penannular or double-headed pendant or amulet that have been associated with various Late Neolithic to late Iron Age Austronesian cultures. Most ''lingling-o'' were made in jade workshops in the ...
References
{{Ancient seafaring
Caves of the Philippines
Archaeological sites in the Philippines
Landforms of Masbate