Saturday, June 18, 2011

Important Find in Philippines

An interesting excavated burial dated to the Iron Age - and no Chinese influence found.  Not sure what that is about -- is there some kind of controversy about the Chinese coming to and/or trading with Filipino people?
From the Philippine Information Agency
PIA Press Release
Friday, June 17, 2011

Ancient burial site in northern Cebu town yields Iron Age relics
by Eli C. Dalumpines
SAN REMIGIO, Cebu, June 17 (PIA) -– An archeological dig conducted by a team from the University of San Carlos (USC), University of the Philippines (UP) and University of Guam in an ancient burial site in San Remigio town, yielded three earthen pots and a skeletal remains of a woman.
San Remigio is about 109 kilometers northwest from Cebu City.
Professor Jojo Bersales of the USC’s Anthropology Department said that their latest discovery dates back to the Iron Age, estimated to be around 500 B.C. to 900 A.D., and is part of the artifacts they excavated from the same site in March, this year.
According to Bersales, this is the 7th burial site they have uncovered so far since they started digging in the area in early summer after they got permission from church authorities.
Bersales’ group from USC uncovered six burial sites at the backyard of San Juan Nepomuneno Church in San Remigio during a dig they conducted on March 25-April 17, this year.
Also recovered in the site were 10 earthen wares which, according to experts, were part of the Philippine pre-historic artifacts.
The absence of ceramics in the site is a proof that the settlement is earlier than the coming of the Chinese to the Philippines, the anthropology professor claimed.

“Definitely, there was no Chinese influence here. They may have traded with other local people but not with the Chinese,” Bersales clarified.
San Juan Nepomuceno Church was built in 1863 by the Spanish missionaries. The following year, the town of San Remigio was founded.
Students from Hawaii, Canada and Vietnam also assisted Bersales’ team in the conduct of the archeological dig.
Local government officials here expressed optimism that with this latest archeological finds, San Remigio, a third class town, will be placed in the map as having one of the earliest settlements in Asia.

Local anthropologists here believed the team has excavated the oldest undisturbed archeological site in Cebu. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)

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