Manunggul Jar

890 – 710 BC (est. 2,700 years ago)

Neolithic Period

Description:

- Excavated from a Neolithic burial site in the Manunggul Cave

of the Tabon Caves @ Lipuun Point in Palawan, Philippines.
- Found in March 1964 by a team of volunteer workers from the
United States Peace Corps headed by Victor Decalan & Hans
Kasten.
- Importance of water; consistent water imagery (trade,
information, & communication)

Physical Description:

- Made from clay, “earthenware”

- Measurements are: 51.5cm wide, 66.5cm high

 The Lid of the jar

*The Manunggul Jar has a sculpted lid unlike other burial
jars.
*On top of the jar is a sculpture of a wooden boat with an
upward-curving prow and a slightly tapered stern.
*Boat has a face carved into it.
*Two human figures sit in the boat: One with his arms
crossed, one holding an oar with a missing blade.

 The Body of the jar

*Graceful curvilinear scroll designs adorn the upper section of
the jar. Reminiscent of sea waves.
*The designs are painted in red hematite (primary mineral ore of
iron) for emphasis.
Red is considered a sacred color by the

Symbolism:

 Figures represent the souls of the dead rowing into the

afterlife.
 The manner in which the arms are folded across the chest of
the front figure is a widespread practice in the Islands when
arranging a corpse.
 The carved prow and eye motif of the spirit boat is still found
on the traditional watercraft of the Sulu archipelago, Borneo,
& Malaysia.
Magellan Shrine
1866 — built by Spanish colonial rulers
Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu

Description:

- A memorial tower that honors Ferdinand

Magellan, a Portuguese explorer killed by
chieftain Lapu-Lapu during the Battle of
Mactan in April 27, 1521.
- The monument is erected where Magellan was
believed to be slain.
- A tribute to his legacy as:
*A great explorer that set the path to the
Spanish colonization of the Philippines
*The person who brought Christianity to the
Philippines
*Commander of the fleet which achieved the
first ever circumnavigation of the earth.

 Sides of the monument have engraved texts on

them.
1. Magellan’s name in Portuguese:
“Fernão de Magalhães”.
2. A dedication to “Spanish glory”.
3. Name of the Spanish governor of the
Philippines at the time:
“Don Miguel Creuz”.
4. Name of the Spanish Monarch at the time:
“Queen Ysabel II”.

This monument was raised to Ferdinand Magellan, the

Portuguese navigator who commanded the Spanish fleet sent out
by the Spanish king Charles I (later the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V) in 1519 to find a western sea route to Asia (via the
southern tip of South America) and the spices, such as nutmeg
and cloves, that the "Spice Islands" (now known as the Moluccas
and part of Indonesia) produced.
Europe needed those spices to preserve and spice foods
in that pre-refrigeration era. This is why the route is often called
the "spice route".
A western route to Asia (via South America) had to be
found by Spain as its rival, Portugal, already dominated the
eastern route to Asia (via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern
tip of Africa).