Butuan City Archaeological Dig Site

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Coordinates: 8 ° 57 ′ 0 ″  N , 125 ° 29 ′ 55 ″  E

Map: Philippines
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Butuan City Archaeological Dig Site​
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Philippines

The archaeological excavation site Butuan City is located in the north of the island of Mindanao in the area of ​​the Philippine city of Butuan City , Agusan del Norte province , Caraga region .

The excavation site is located in the Agusan river valley in the Barangay Libertat area. The excavations, which were carried out from 1975 onwards, show that the region around Butuan City had been an important trading center since the early Middle Ages. The most important find was a total of 11 longboats suitable for the sea, the legendary balangays , the planks of which were joined together in a form similar to the Kraweel construction and attached to the ship's frame with wooden dowels. The oldest ship could be dated around the year 320 AD. Most of the other boats found date from the 10th to 12th centuries. There are only two other finds worldwide that have the same boat shape and processing method; they come from the island of Sumatra and from Pontian in Malaysia .

Other finds attest to the long and extensive trading tradition that this region had in the Middle Ages . There were trade contacts with the Guangdong region in southern China from the 10th to 15th centuries, with Persia from the 9th to 10th centuries, with the Dvaravati Empire in the 9th century, with the Chenla Empire from the 11th to 13th centuries Songkhla region and the kingdom of Srivijaya from the 10th to the 11th century and with Thailand from the 14th to the 15th century.

The likely reason the region rose to become a major trading center in the Middle Ages was the region's gold wealth. Numerous gold mines and prospecting sites were found in the mountains and on the river itself. Numerous ornaments decorated with gold leaf in the typical style of the Song and Ming dynasties were found.

Various finds from the excavations are presented at the Balangay Shrine Museum, Butuan National Museum and the National Museum of the Philippines . The archaeological site is Butuan City since 2006 on the proposed list of the Philippines for inclusion on the World Heritage List of UNESCO .

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