Discussion of IKG Data: Selected Sampling of Artefacts

Goh Geok Yian, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, and John N. Miksic, National University of Singapore & Nanyang Technological University Singapore

18 February 2022

To date, we have analyzed a total of 1,495 sherds of Chinese porcelain (17.88 kg), 159 Japanese porcelain sherds (2.8 kg), 3,492 European porcelain sherds (41.45 kg), 97 other porcelain sherds (14.44 kg), 246 Chinese stoneware sherds (7.7 kg), 9 European stoneware sherds (3.8 kg), 1,479 local earthenware sherds (30.3 kg), two other stoneware sherds (32 g), five sherds of Yixing teapots (24g), 389 glass artefacts (12.2 kg), 158 stone artefacts (2.7 kg), 198 metal artefacts (5.8 kg), 502 organic biofacts (3.9 kg), 538 pieces of construction material (4.2 kg), and 4 plastic items (12.2 g). It is important to note that the data presented in this report and database represent only a fraction of the total number of artefacts in the IKG assemblage. It is hoped that more analysis of this assemblage will be conducted in future.

Statistics of the IKG Artefacts

The statistics presented constitute approximately 30–40 per cent of all artefacts in the IKG collection. This report presents a preliminary statistical tally of the types of artefacts excavated from the IKG site. The bulk of the artefacts under analysis came from the 2000 IKG dig; there is a small proportion of IKG artefacts from a 2003 dig which were stored together with the 2000 IKG artefacts. Mr. Omar Chen, who was then working at the Taman Warisan, and another individual carried out a dig in 2003 at the Istana Kampung Gelam site, but do not appear to have documented their excavation or their finds. The authors of this report and the team noted bags of artefacts bearing tags from 2003 and proceeded to process them despite the absence of precise information regarding their context at the site.

The tree diagram shows the relative proportions of artefacts by type of material in this report and database (to date):

The two pie charts provide a summary of the percentages of the type of ware by number of sherds and by weight in grams.

Supported by National Heritage Board Heritage Research Grant, Singapore. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Heritage Board, Singapore.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56159/sitereport10