Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports

There is a significant difference in density of artifacts between Squares I and II:

Sq I measures 60 m2 in area and yielded a total number of 1,757 ceramic sherds (1,545 from 14thc- 1600 and 212 from colonial period) weighing a total of 21.5kg (19.2kg from 14thc-1600 and 2.25kg from colonial period).

Sq II measures 50 m2 in area and yielded a total number of 2,207 ceramic sherds (1,465 from 14thc- 1600 and 742 from colonial) weighing a total of 43.3kg (24.8kg from 14thc-1600 and 18.5kg from colonial period).

In Square I, the density of artifacts was 3.5kg per m2; in Square II, the density was approximately 8.7kg per m2. There were more colonial period artifacts in Square II and in Square I; the sherds were larger and hence weighed more.

In Square I, precolonial sherds make up 88% of sherds by weight whereas in Square II, it is only 66%. The difference is even more glaring in terms of weight: 90% in Square I compared to 57% in Square II. One can hypothesize that the area next to High Street (i.e. Square I) was built over first and therefore fewer colonial period artifacts were deposited there, whereas the area near North Bridge Road (i.e. Square II) was built over later and therefore artifacts there were deposited there over a longer period of time.

Distribution of 14th-15th century Ceramics in Sq I and Sq II

The treemap shows the distribution of different type of ceramics compared across Square I and Square II (by number of sherds). Please note that the earthenware figures are not the final figures as the research team is still currently cataloguing the sherds. The actual figures are presented in the bar chart.

The treemap shows the distribution of different type of ceramics compared across Square I and Square II (by weight in grams). The actual figures are presented in the bar chart.

In terms of number of sherds, there is no significant difference between Squares I and II of various categories of ware. However, in terms of weight, there is an appreciable difference between the two squares: Square II has yielded approximately 5.7 kg more than Square I. This indicates that the sherds in Square II are larger on average than those in Square I. It is not clear what caused this difference. For white porcelain, there is also a clear difference in number of sherds between Squares I and II. There are 66 sherds and 547.5g differences in number of sherds and weight of white porcelain respectively between Square II and Square I. In terms of percentages, the differences appear to be minute in terms of overall quantities (Square II ceramics are more numerous and weigh more than those in Square I) but white ware is an important category because it constitutes the finest type of porcelain and is therefore thought to be correlated with people of higher status.

Distribution of 19th-20th century Artifacts in Sq I and Sq II

The treemap shows the distribution of different type of 19th-20th century artifacts compared across Square I and Square II (by number of sherds). The actual figures are presented in the bar chart and tables.

The treemap shows the distribution of different type of 19th-20th century artifacts compared across Square I and Square II (by weight). The actual figures are presented in the bar chart and tables.