Borneo

The largest island of Southeast Asia, first mentioned in Ptolemy's "Guide to Geography" of c 150 AD. Joined to mainland Southeast Asia during the low sea-level Pleistocene period archaeological sequences have been found in the Niah Caves of Sarawak and the Madai-Tingkayu region of Sabah. The Niah Great Cave sequence suggests the presence of a population of early Australoids from about 40 000 years ago and evidence from all sites indicate that the ancestors of present-day Borneans arrived around 3000 BC possibly from the Philippines. Though traces of Homo erectus from 2 million years ago were found on neighboring Java so far no evidence has been found of Homo erectus in Borneo. Roman trade beads and Indo-Javanese artifacts give evidence of a flourishing civilization dating to the 2nd or 3rd century BC. A Sanskrit inscription dated to c 400 AD is the earliest historical document on the island. Three rough foundation stones with an inscription recording a gift to a Brahman priest date from the early 5th century AD found at Kutai provide evidence of a Hindu kingdom. The first recorded European visitor was Franciscan friar Odoric of Pordenone who visited on his way from India to China in 1330.

The largest island of Southeast Asia, situated at the eastern edge of the Sunda Shelf. Borneo, with Sumatra and Java, was joined to mainland Southeast Asia during Pleistocene periods of low sea-level, but so far no traces of settlement by Homo erectus, attested from 2 million years ago on Java, have been found. Archaeological sequences so far come from purely coastal locations, particularly the Niah Caves of Sarawak, and the MADAi-Tingkayu region of Sabah (all in East Malaysia). The Niah Great Cave sequence suggests the presence of a population of early Australoid affinity from about 40,000 years ago, and all the sites mentioned, together with linguistic evidence, suggest that the ancestors of the present AusTRONESiAN-speaking populations of Borneo arrived with a horticultural economy soon after 3000 be, probably from the Philippines. No traces now survive in Borneo of earlier Australoid or Negrito populations. For protohistoric sites and trade with China, see Kota Batu, Santubong, Tanjong Kubor. The island does not seem to have played a significant part in the early history of Southeast Asia. The very few Brahmanic or Buddhist images found along the major rivers do not prove an Indian cultural influence. Some small Indianized kingdoms must nevertheless have existed from the 4th century in coastal areas. A Sanskrit inscription, dated to c400 and thus being the earliest historical document on the island, found in the present Sultanate of Kutei, emanates from an obviously Indianized king. The earliest secure Chinese information concerning Borneo (P’o-ni) is only from 977, and in 1082 the History of the Sung records an embassy from the Maharaja of But in a 13th-century Chinese source a country called Tan-jung-wu-lo (Tan-jang Pura) in southwestern Borneo is mentioned as the dependency of a Javanese kingdom. From this time on, Borneo has to be seen politically as an extended part of Java.