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    RPH Reviewer Lesson5

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    Romel Macinas
    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is a 10th century artifact found in the Philippines that is written in an early form of the Kawi script used in maritime Southeast Asia at the time. It provides evidence that contradicted the previous assumption that the Philippines was isolated in the 10th century, as its language is influenced by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. The inscription records a debt release with the names of officials from different regions, suggesting some form of political and social organization existed in the Philippines during the 10th century. The discovery of this artifact has led scholars to re-evaluate the history of the Philippines and its connections to the rest of Southeast Asia during this period.

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    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is a 10th century artifact found in the Philippines that is written in an early form of the Kawi script used in maritime Southeast Asia at the time. It provides evidence that contradicted the previous assumption that the Philippines was isolated in the 10th century, as its language is influenced by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. The inscription records a debt release with the names of officials from different regions, suggesting some form of political and social organization existed in the Philippines during the 10th century. The discovery of this artifact has led scholars to re-evaluate the history of the Philippines and its connections to the rest of Southeast Asia during this period.

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    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is a 10th century artifact found in the Philippines that is written in an early form of the Kawi script used in maritime Southeast Asia at the time. It provides evidence that contradicted the previous assumption that the Philippines was isolated in the 10th century, as its language is influenced by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. The inscription records a debt release with the names of officials from different regions, suggesting some form of political and social organization existed in the Philippines during the 10th century. The discovery of this artifact has led scholars to re-evaluate the history of the Philippines and its connections to the rest of Southeast Asia during this period.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    48 views2 pages

    RPH Reviewer Lesson5

    Uploaded by

    Romel Macinas
    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is a 10th century artifact found in the Philippines that is written in an early form of the Kawi script used in maritime Southeast Asia at the time. It provides evidence that contradicted the previous assumption that the Philippines was isolated in the 10th century, as its language is influenced by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. The inscription records a debt release with the names of officials from different regions, suggesting some form of political and social organization existed in the Philippines during the 10th century. The discovery of this artifact has led scholars to re-evaluate the history of the Philippines and its connections to the rest of Southeast Asia during this period.

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    INFORMATION SHEET PR-5.1.

    1
    Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources in the Philippine History
    “THE LAGUNA COPPERPLATE”

    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription: An Ancient Text That Changed the Perception of the
    History of the Philippines

    The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the name of an inscription written on an artifact that has
    great significance for the understanding of the history of the Philippines during the 10th
    century AD – a time when many scholars believed that the area was isolated from the rest of
    Southeast Asia.

    Political Entities in Southeast Asia in the 10th Century

    During the 10th century, a number of political entities were in existence in Southeast
    Asia. One of the most famous of these was the Khmer Empire, which dominated much of the
    Southeast Asian mainland. To its east, the modern country of Vietnam was divided between the
    Chinese in the north, and the Kingdom of Champa in the south. The seas below the Southeast
    Asian mainland were beyond the reach of the Khmers and were largely controlled by a
    maritime empire known as Srivijaya.

    However, there is little information on the area in the part of this region where the
    modern country of the Philippines is now situated. This lack of information led many scholars to
    believe that it was isolated from the rest of the region. Thus, the Laguna Copperplate
    Inscription is an important artifact, as it has allowed scholars to re-evaluate the situation in this
    part of Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.

    Characteristics of the Laguna Copperplate

    The Laguna Copperplate is a thin piece of copper sheet measuring about 20 x 20 cm (7.9
    x 7.9 inches), which was discovered around 1987. It has been reported that this artifact was
    found during dredging activities with a mechanical conveyor in the Lumbang River, which is
    situated in the Province of Laguna. This province is located to the east of Manila, the capital of
    the Philippines.

    It is interesting to note that the Laguna Copperplate only came to the attention of
    scholars in 1990, when it was offered for sale to the National Museum in Manila, after attempts
    to sell it in the antiques market had been met with little interest.

    An Incomplete Artifact

    Investigations by Antoon Postma, a Dutch anthropologist, have revealed that the


    inscription on the Laguna Copperplate is incomplete, and it is highly likely that there was
    another similar piece of copperplate with inscriptions on it that has been lost.
    Origins of the Inscription on the Laguna Copperplate

    The inscription on the surviving copperplate is in itself intriguing, and has provided
    enough material for scholars to analyze. For instance, the type of script used in the Laguna
    Copperplate Inscription has been identified as the so-called ‘Early Kawi Script,’ a writing system
    that originated in the Indonesian island of Java, and was used across much of maritime
    Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.

    In fact, this script is said to have been derived from the Pallava script, which has its
    origins in India. As for the language of the inscription, it has been found to be heavily influenced
    linguistically by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. Both the type script, and the language of
    the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, therefore, shows that this area was not actually isolated
    from the rest of Southeast Asia, as had been previously assumed.

    The Inscription

    The inscription begins by providing a date:

    “Hail! In the Saka-year 822; the month of March-April; according to the astronomer: the
    fourth day of the dark half of the moon; on Monday.”

    The Saka era has its origins in India (supposedly marking the ascension of the Kushan
    emperor Kanishka), and the year 822 is said to correspond with the year 900 AD in the
    Gregorian calendar. The use of this calendrical system is further evidence that there were
    cultural links between this area of Southeast Asia and its neighbors, which at that time, were
    largely under the cultural influence of India.

    As for the subject matter of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, it has been suggested
    that the inscription is a “semi-official certificate of acquittal of a debt incurred by a person in
    high office, together with his whole family, all relatives and descendants.”

    This acquittal is also said to be confirmed by other officials/leaders, some of whom have
    been mentioned by name, along with their area of jurisdiction. These officials include “His
    Honor the Leader of Puliran, Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing
    Ganasakti; (and) His Honor the Leader of Binwangan, representing Bisruta.” The recording of
    these names suggests that there was some sort of political and social organization in the
    Philippines of the 10th century AD.

    To conclude, the Laguna Copperplate, which would probably not attract instant public
    attention as gold or silver artifacts would, is in fact an immensely important object. This
    seemingly insignificant artifact has sparked a re-assessment of the history of the Philippines
    prior to the coming of the Spanish, in particular the 10th century AD, and the archipelago’s
    relationship with the rest of Southeast Asia.

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