Ports, Shipwrecks, and Ceramics:
A Maritime History of the Ancient Champa Kingdom
by Do Truong Giang (Alex Giang)
The Champa kingdom is largely known as a typical maritime polity in pre-modern Southeast Asia. Thanks to its strategic location between the Chinese market and the world of Southeast Asia and South Asia, the Champa coast became a frequent destination of foreign traders and merchant ships for centuries. Ceramics was among the most important commodities in trade between Champa and traders.
Our speaker provided an overview of the economic activities that once took place in (and beyond) the ancient territory of Champa kingdom. He covered three major topics, all interrelated: the evidence of ancient mercantile ports, the recent shipwrecks found off the coast of Champa, and both Champa and foreign trade ceramics discovered in central Vietnam.
About the Speaker
Dr. Do Truong Giang (aka Alex Giang) was then a history PhD Student at National University of Singapore (NUS) and a graduate fellow at Asia Research Institute (ARI) – NUS in 2009. He has since written his Doctoral dissertation, Reconstructing the history of Champa (9th-15th centuries CE). Alex is also involved in two other research projects: Champa-Khmer Angkor Links project and a Vietnam Maritime Archaeology project. He is a former Honorary Secretary of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Society (SEACS) and returns frequently as a speaker to keep us updated on his research and archaeological projects.
7pm, Tuesday, 30 July 2013
82 Cairnhill Road, Singapore 229684
