Ancient Egyptian jewelleries were uncovered in Indonesia

CAIRO – 4 October 2019: Residents of Ogan Komering Ilir in South Sumatra uncovered precious jewelleries on burned peatland in various locations in the regency.

An archaeologist from the South Sumatra Archeological Center named Retno Purwanti said that this area is thought to have been a trading center during the era of the Sriwijaya kingdom era in the seventh century until the emergence of the Palembang sultanate in the 12th century.

Purwanti added that the uncover of parts of a boat, such as paddles and a helm, in Tulang Selapan, Cengal and Air Sugihan districts in the regency, supports her words.

"Local residents found gold and jewelry, including an ancient necklace called a mata kucing [cat’s eye], based on our research, the unearthed jewelry was made in Egypt and Indo-Pacific countries” Purwanti said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

She added that similar discoveries were performed around four years ago when wildfires also struck the province.

"Local residents did not even need to dig deep to find jewelry as well as precious metals [at that time]," Retno said.

"Many of the residents are tempted by the high prices offered by collectors," she went on to say.
According to data from the Environment and Forestry Ministry, around 11,826 hectares of land across South Sumatra have been engulfed by forest and land fires throughout this year.