AN EXTRACTION:
The lawn between the Keramat Iskandar Syah and the brick wall on the south side of the old European cemetery in the Fort Canning Park has little on the surface to attract the eye. A brick walkway slices through the grass across the slope, its red colour and sharp edges clashing with the soft green undulations of the ground. This unprepossessing territory is the richest archaeological site yet discovered in Singapore.
In January 1984 five rectangular pits yielded the first evidence that Singapore’s ancient history was not doomed to remain forever a summary of passing references in other countries’ archives. Porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware pottery of 14th-century style appeared in the red topsoil, mingling with iron helmets and whisky bottles left by the soldiers who used the hill from 1859-1959, together with skeletons of animals sacrificed to the spirit of the keramat by rh 19th and 20th century pilgrims; bricks, stones, and other recent rubbish. At a greater depth the soil changed abruptly in colour, to a brownish yellow; the fragments of hair cream bottles and army mess plates ceased to appear; and the remains of the 14th century displayed themselves in their original context, free entangling associations with artefacts 600 years their junior.
The excavations of 1984 proved that the area north of the keramat fulfilled the two conditions necessary for archaeological research: there are artefacts there, and they lie in a stratified context. This is archaeological shorthand meaning that older objects are found beneath new ones, in a position which results from actions of 14th century people. From these isolated bits of activity we can draw some more abstract conclusions about their habits, beliefs, and even unspoken assumptions. In 1984 it became clear that a new history of old Singapore could be written, using information found at home and so not subject to the biases inevitable in external perspectives.
Extracted from : Beyond the Graves, another book by Dr John Miksic
