ARCHEOLOGICAL

ARTIFACTS
Presenter:
Mahinay, Ivy M.
 ARTIFACTS

These refer to any objects that were made by

people during a certain time and place for a
specific use. These could refer to tools, clothing,
jewelry, and pottery, among others. 
17 MOST INTENSE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
DISCOVERIES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
 The “Yawning” Jarlet of Leta-Leta Cave.
 The Callao Man.
 The Laguna Copper Plate Inscription (LCI).
 The Flying Elephant of Lena Shoal.
 The Manunggul Jar.
 Oton Death Mask.
 Bolinao Skull.
 Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial Jar.
17 MOST INTENSE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
DISCOVERIES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
 Butuan “Mother Boat.”
 San Diego’s Astrolabe.
  The “Death Blanket” of Banton, Romblon.
 The Limestone Tombs of Mt. Kamhantik.
 Batanes Castle.
 The Calatagan Ritual Pot.
 The Golden Tara of Agusan.
 The Angono Petroglyphs.
 The 700,000-year-old Rhino Hunting Tools.
 THE “YAWNING” JARLET OF LETA-LETA
CAVE
 the “earliest pot recovered in the
country”
 Discovered by Dr. Robert Fox in Leta-Leta
Cave,
 Northern Palawan in 1965
 Associated with the Late Neolithic period
(approximately 1000 to 1500 BC)
 It was excavated in a burial site where a
stone adze
YAWNING JAR
 THE CALLAO MAN
 2007, Dr. Armand Mijares of U.P. Diliman
 Town of Peñablanca, Cagayan
 The said skeletal remain–specifically the
third metatarsal of the foot–is said to be
“the earliest human fossil found in the
Asia-Pacific region.”
 “uranium-series dating,” the foot bone is
approximately 67,000 years old,

The foot bone discovered in Callao Cave was

a mere 61 millimeters or 2.4 inches.
 THE LAGUNA COPPER PLATE INSCRIPTION
(LCI)

 Accidentally discovered in 1986 near the

mouth of Lumbang River
 “the earliest historical document in the
country and also the only pre-Spanish
document discovered so far”
 measures 7 x 12 inches when unrolled
 THE FLYING ELEPHANT OF LENA SHOAL
 “this blue-and-white dish with flying
elephant design is one of only two pieces
ever recovered in the world”
 retrieved from the Lena Shoal wreck site in
Palawan in 1997
 Far Eastern Foundation for Nautical
Archaeology (FEFNA) and the National
Museum.
 Made during the Middle Ming Dynasty (ca.
1500)
 MANUNGGUL JAR
 The Manunggul jar was only one of several
stunning artifacts discovered in Chamber A
 Manunggul Cave in Lipuun Point, Palawan by a
group of archaeologists who investigated the site
from 1962 to 1965.
 Measuring 66.5 x 51.5 cms, the Manungggul jar
is actually a secondary burial jar used to store
the bones of someone who was previously
buried.
 The lid features a “spirit boat” or “ship of the
dead” carrying two souls on a journey to the
afterlife.
 OTON DEATH MASK
 1960, by Alfredo Evangelista and F. Landa
Jocan.
 It consists of a gold nose-disc and eye-mask, and
both found in a gravesite in San Antonio, Oton,
Iloilo.
 The gold mask dated from the late 14th to the
early 15th century A.D. is the first of its kind
recovered in the Philippines.
 “gold mask serving as an amulet against evil
spirits.”
 The practice of using a gold mask to cover the
face of the dead was brought to the Philippines
by the southern Chinese.
 BOLINAO SKULL
 Bolinao Skull is only one of 67 skulls recovered
from the Balingasay Archaeological Site in
Bolinao, Pangasinan.
 They were found along with several Early Ming
dynasty (1368-1644) ceramics.
 “The skulls have teeth that are decorated with
gold ornaments, a symbol of wealth and bravery
during the prehistoric era.”
 It stands out because gold scales were observed:
“on the buccal surfaces of the upper and lower
incisors and canines.”
 MAITUM ANTHROPOMORPHIC BURIAL JAR
 1991, National Museum excavated several clay
burial jars in Ayub Cave, Pinol, Maitum,
Saranggani Province.
 These Metal Age (ca. 5 BC to 225 AD) jars
depict human beings and feature three types of
heads: Plain, with perforations, and with red
(hematite) and black (organic matter) paints.
 Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial Jar No. 21 it is
the only jar depicting a male sex organ.
 has a navel, two arms, two ears (which seem to
be both right ears), and two nipples. The head is
perforated while the lips were painted with red
hematite.
Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial Jar No. 21
 BUTUAN “MOTHER BOAT.”
 2012, biggest balangay (plank boat) in
Philippine history was recovered in Butuan City.
 Estimated to be around 800 years old, the newly-
discovered Butuan “mother boat” may be
centuries older than the European ships that
landed in the archipelago in the 16th century,
and even predates Magellan’s arrival and death
in 1521.
 National Museum archeologist Dr. Mary Jane
Louise A. Bolunia “mother boat” was estimated
to be at least 25 meters long and considered as
“safekeeping” boat where trade goods and
supplies were stored
 SAN DIEGO’S ASTROLABE
 San Diego was a Spanish galleon that sank on
December 14, 1600, claiming the lives of 259
people.
 1992, shipwreck was discovered off Fortune
Island in Nasugbu, Batangas.
 The artifacts recovered were cannons, anchors,
guns, Mexican jars, and a rare navigational
device called an astrolabe.
 Estimated to be 400 years old, the San Diego’s
astrolabe now a National Cultural Treasure is
one of only two existing astrolabes in the world.
 THE “DEATH BLANKET” OF BANTON,
ROMBLON
 A piece of the blanket used by Filipinos in the
13th to 14th centuries to wrap a corpse.
 Found in the 1960s inside the Guyangan Cave in
Banton, Romblon along with other artifacts such
as Ming period blue and white ceramics.
 Also known as ikat, the piece of burial cloth is
said to be the oldest existing cloth in the country
and possibly the oldest warp ikat textile in
Southeast Asia.
 THE LIMESTONE TOMBS OF MT.
KAMHANTIK
 March 1, 2011, National Museum archaeologists
unearthed a total of 15 limestone tombs and
other valuable artifacts in Mt. Kamhantik near
Mulanay town in Quezon province.
 Archaeological site is a part of a 280-hectare
government protected land is believed to be the
area where a 1,000-year-old village once stood.
 “this burial ground features limestone coffins–a
first in the Philippines and a proof that our
ancestors also used a more advanced burial
ritual.”
 BATANES CASTLE
 1994, Dr. Eusebio Dizon, went to Batanes with a
team of experts for an extensive archaeological
project.
 One of their surprising discoveries was a
triangular-shaped hill at Savidug, a municipality
in Sabtang.
 They learned that this was one of four high
rocky formations locally known as ijang (also
spelled as idjang).
 The inhabitants of Savidug Idjang survived by
fishing and hunting, as evidenced by several
ecofacts found in the area such as skeletal
remains of fish, birds, and other animals.
 THE CALATAGAN RITUAL POT
 National Cultural Treasure dated back to the
14th and 16th centuries
 discovered by diggers in an archaeological site
in Calatagan, Batangas in 1958, and
subsequently donated to the National Museum in
1961.
 Measuring 12 cm. high and 20.2 cm. at its
widest and weighing 872 grams, “this pot is
considered as the country’s oldest cultural
artifact with pre-Hispanic writing.”
 It is distinct because of the mysterious ancient
symbols inscribed on its shoulder.
 The Golden Tara of Agusan
 figurine of a female deity is the first image
identified to be of Indian origin.
 1917, accidentally discovered by a Manobo
woman on the banks of the Wawa River in
Agusan, Mindanao after heavy rain.
 Philippines’ pioneer prehistorian H. Otley
Beyer declared it as “the most spectacular
find yet made in Philippine archaeology.”
 which measures five and a half inches tall and
weighs nearly four pounds of 21-carat gold
 It is now displayed in the Field Museum of
Natural History in Chicago, USA.
 The Angono Petroglyphs
 Over 120 engraved figures on a rock wall in Angono,
Rizal.
 Petroglyphs cover the majority of the rock wall, which
measures around 63 meters wide and 5 meters tall.
 Besides the wall carvings, fragmented earthenware and
stone tools were also found.
 Dating of the artifacts suggested that the rock
shelter was used during the Neolithic age (around
2500 BC), making the Angono Petroglyphs the
oldest known work of art in the Philippines to date.
 According to UNESCO, the Angono Petroglyphs are
“symbolic representations associated with healing and
sympathetic magic”.
 The 700,000-year-old Rhino Hunting Tools

 2014, researchers uncovered the fossil remains

of a rhinoceros dated to be around 700,000
years old.
 they also uncovered over 57 stone tools along
with the rhino fossils.
 Upon observing various tool marks on the
bones, the researchers came to the conclusion
that the stone tools were used to hunt and
butcher the animal for its meat.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO
PRESERVE OUR
HERITAGE?
 Conducting plantation programme, awareness
programme, cleanliness program , and implimation of
strict rules and regulation.
 Spend time with other members of the community.
The best way to preserve your culture is to keep it
alive.
 Gather as a group not just for holidays, but for
ordinary meals, events, or just conversation.
 Culture and its heritage reflect and shape values,
beliefs, and aspirations, thereby defining a people's
national identity. It is important to preserve our
cultural heritage, because it keeps our integrity as a
people.
THANK YOU!