The Radiocarbon Dating of Early Malay and Javanese Manuscripts Written on Dluwang

Abstract

This article presents an overview of radiocarbon dating with special reference to Indonesian manuscripts.
It starts with a survey of the oldest known manuscripts from maritime Southeast Asia written on organic
materials, dating from the 14th to the early 17th centuries. It then describes and presents the results of
the radiocarbon dating of four manuscripts in Malay, Javanese, Arabic and Persian, held in Leiden
University Library, all written on dluwang, the Javanese name for a writing support made of beaten
bark or tapa. We introduce the manuscripts which underwent radiocarbon dating, with the reasons for
their selection; describe and illustrate the process of extracting the necessary samples; and present and
analyse the radiocarbon dating results. These four manuscripts in Leiden are then analysed along with
the renowned manuscript of a code of laws from Tanjung Tanah in Kerinci, Sumatra, published by
Uli Kozok in 2015. This manuscript, which is also written on beaten bark, has been radiocarbon dated
to the late 14th or very early 15th century, making it by far the oldest known manuscript in the Malay
language.
We then draw some conclusions about the potential value of radiocarbon dating for Indonesian
manuscripts. As an invasive technique, the objective of the dating study must be significant, as
irreversible damage to ancient artefacts, however tiny, is never a decision to be taken lightly. But
researchers are discovering that 14C data can often provide the key piece of evidence in otherwise
insoluble debates. It is therefore hoped that the data and information presented in this article will help
other scholars considering making use of this technology by highlighting the various factors to be taken
into consideration, and by profiling the types of manuscripts most likely to benefit from this procedure.