According to British maritime archaeologist Dr Sean Kingsley, fishermen on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are salvaging more and more gold jewelry from the Musi River near the capital Palembang, treasures belonging to the lost "golden kingdom" sriwijaya kingdom, but these treasures continue to fall into the hands of unscrupulous collectors.
The online magazine Wreckwatch reportedly published Dr. Sean Kingsley's research revealing more details about the lost kingdom of Srivijaya. Dr Kingsley said that "shiny gold and jewelry commensurate with the richest kingdom emerged from the shoals".
Fishermen salvaged part of the gold jewelry and jewelry from the water.
He said the Sriwijaya kingdom, known as the "Island of Gold," was probably the "greatest empire" many people had never heard of, and that the floating kingdom had ruled Indonesia (and much of Southeast Asia) for more than 600 years.
In the 12th century, the kingdom of Srivijaya mysteriously disappeared without a trace, and the treasures of the kingdom and even the location of the kingdom became a historical mystery. Archaeologists have searched for years in Indonesia, Thailand and India, but to no avail.
A Statue of the Buddha salvaged out of the water.
Since five years ago, fishermen near Palembang, the capital of Sumatra, Indonesia, have been salvaging more and more gold jewellery from the Musi River, including a staggering amount of gold jewellery, Buddha statues, jewelry, as well as tons of Chinese coins and large quantities of blue and white porcelain.
Dr. Kingsley believes that the treasures belong to the mysteriously disappearing Kingdom of Srivijaya.
He said the kingdom was elusive because it was a floating kingdom, with only temples and kings' palaces built on land, while ordinary people lived in floating houses made of bamboo and wood with thatched roofs.
Sriwijaya has gold mines along the Musi and BadanHari rivers on the island of Sumatra, which means that its people are actually sitting on a gold mine.
Srivijaya was so successful because it controlled the trade routes of the maritime "Silk Road". Almost all of the world's goods, from spices to slaves, pass through its sea throat. A 10th-century historian wrote, "No monarch in the world has profited so much from his land."
In addition to the enormous wealth gained from maritime trade, Sriwijaya has gold mines along the Musi and Badan Khali rivers in Sumatra, meaning that its people are actually sitting on a gold mine.
Imperial gold and silver coins were printed with sandalwood flowers and the Sanskrit word for glory.
Salvage out of the water part of the gold ornaments.
Srivijaya connects China and the East with Persia and the West. Over the centuries, as wealth and power grew, Srivijaya navigators, sailors, and merchants explored Borneo, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, the Bay of Bengal, and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
With an army of 20,000 soldiers, 1,000 monks and 800 moneylenders in the capital alone, its centuries-long kingdom offered an extremely extravagant way of life at the time.
The Buddhist rulers of the kingdom wore pearlescent hats and drank wine fermented with flowers, coconuts and honey.
One writer said that in the magnificent temples and palaces, there were "white, red and yellow parrots that could be taught to speak Arabic, Persian, Greek and Hindi, as well as green and spotted peacocks, and white falcons with red badges". When a king dies, his servants are forced to jump into the raging fire and die to accompany him in the afterlife.
But eventually the golden age of srivijaya's water kingdom came to an end. Attacks and piracy by rival kingdoms snuffed out its maritime trade routes, including India's Kingdom of Jura, which used the monsoon winds to sail into Sumatra, attacking 14 ports and looting the capital.
By 1025, the kingdom of Srivijaya had been swallowed up by rival kingdoms of Indonesia. By the 13th century, it had "ceased to exist".
Even in Indonesia itself, it was forgotten and was not rediscovered until the 20th century, mainly by foreign scholars. In 1920, the French historian George Coedes discovered its name in ancient Chinese manuscripts and stone carvings.
Dr Kingsley said that because of their fear of fire and spiritual affinity for water, the people of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya may have thrown the treasure of gold into the river as a religious offering, following the tradition of the king throwing gold bricks into the river.
Dr Kingsley expressed his concern that since no formal excavations have been carried out at the site, fishermen have sold the gold treasure without proper excavation and fallen into the hands of unscrupulous collectors around the globe, meaning that experts are unable to identify the items and place them in the historical context, and the ancient civilization of the Isle of Gold is now at risk of disappearing again.
He said that to ensure that any miracle in SriVijaya can survive and that its dazzling treasure of gold and silver does not disappear again, it will require great efforts from the international community.
Text/Nandu reporter Chen Lin