RPH REPORTING

FIRST TOPIC:
Archaeological evidence of human existence in the Philippines
(palagyan nalang ng pictures patungkol sa archaeological evidence na nahanap dito sa
Philippines) (pwede ring collage type yung first slide)

Why is it important?
- Archaeology consists of uncovering various evidence that bring the past to life.
With every dig that we do, we are peering into the past and understand the
origins of human society.

The Callao Man

- Archaeologists in the year 2007, unearthed human bones in the Philippines that
showed early man lived on the country about 70,000 years ago.

- Analyzing the 2.4-inch bone by using a method called uranium series dating, it
was revealed that it was notably older than “Tabon Man” wherein it was dated to
67,000 years ago.

- The ones who unearthed the Callao Man are Professor Armand Mijares from
the University of the Philippines and a joint leader with Florent Detroit.

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription

- It is a 20 cm square copperplate that is covered by a ten-line inscription of written
characters on one side.

- The text was purchased by the National Museum of the Philippines in 1990. They
also have the inscription to Dutch anthropologist Antoon Postma to analyze the
text.

The Manunggul Jar

- A jar that was used around 2,700 years ago to protect the remains of the dead. It
was discovered in the Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point.
References for first topic:
The Callao Man - https://historylearning.com/history-of-the-philippines/pre-history/
callao-man/
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription - https://historylearning.com/history-of-the-
philippines/pre-colonial/the-laguna-copperplate-inscription/ , THE LAGUNA COPPER-
PLATE INSCRIPTION
The Manunggul jar - https://epa.culturalcenter.gov.ph/3/82/2227/

SECOND TOPIC:
Austronesian theories and evidences

The Austronesian Expansion Theory

- This suggests that the growth of the population of the Philippines was a result of
people from Asia known as the Austronesians.

- These Austronesians are Austronesian-speaking people who populated areas in

Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Africa.

- Peter Bellwood, professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian

National University, proposed the Austronesian Expansion Theory or also known
as the Austronesian Migration Theory.

Out-of-Taiwan Model
- This model suggests that Taiwanese indigenous people first sailed from Taiwan
to the Northern islands of the Philippines around 3000 BCE.

- During the late 1970s. linguist Robert Blust of University of Hawaii defended the
said theory by breaking down the Proto-Austronesian language groups into
different subdivisions and linking them back to Taiwan.
Nusantao Hypothesis
- A hypothesis that was developed by Wilhelm Solheim, the (NMTCN) or known as
the Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communicating Network.

- It is a trade and communication network that appeared during the Neolithic age
or around 5000 BC that first appeared in the Asia-Pacific region.

- This theory is an alternative to the spread of the Austronesian language family in

Southeast Asia. Solheim suggested the hypothesis in 1964, wherein it contrasts
the widely accepted Out-of-Taiwan hypothesis.

References of the Second Topic:

- https://historyguild.org/what-is-the-austronesian-expansion/ ,
https://historylearning.com/history-of-the-philippines/pre-history/population-
theories/the-austronesian-expansion-theory/ , https://historylearning.com/history-
of-the-philippines/pre-history/population-theories/out-of-taiwan-model/

- https://dbpedia.org/page/
Nusantao_Maritime_Trading_and_Communication_Network?
fbclid=IwAR1p1_lc95Ao5isptRFk5xb7JHXuofEri4U3y2H7HuXmt3BrVy_4grCHMp
g#:~:text=In%20a%20hypothesis%20developed%20by,beginning%20roughly
%20around%205000%20BC

THIRD TOPIC:
Epics as sources of indigenous people and culture
On Human Values in Philippine Epics
- Epics have provided historical witness to deep-rooted indigenous values around
the societies from which they come to light. These values are known to many
cultures and traditions.

- The author Francisco R. Demetrio divided the epics into two groups with epics
surrounding values that is related to human interrelationships and the other
relating to relationships with the numinous, the world of God, and Spirits.
 - Epics relating to values of human relationships:

1. The Case of Lam-ang: Human Worth and Justice

2. Doña Ines and Lam-ang: Respect
3. Aliguyon: Respect for Elders and Ability to Admire Good Qualities Even
in Enemies

- The epics mentioned are examples of respect for human dignity which also
symbolizes in respect for our parents and elders as well as the competence to
admire the good qualities of one’s enemies.

- Epics relating to values of the Numinous:

1. Taake: Prayers Addressed to God Almighty

2. Aliguyon: Prayer to the Rooster and the Idao Bird

FOURTH TOPIC:
Earliest record of trade relations with the Chinese
Indirect Trade Participation in the Tana Dynasty
An American archaeologist, Otley Beyer, said that after the massacre of foreigners
happened in Guangzhou in 878, Arab traders changed their maritime trade route by
turning eastward starting from the Malacca Straits going to Borneo, the Philippines, and
Formosa, then passed by ‘North China’ to push through to Korea and Japan.
This theory is heavily supported by the different archaeological finds of Yue wares of the
9th-10th centuries that was found in the Philippines. So far, the evidence that was found
in Samar and Butuan include these early wares and attests the shares of the Philippines
during the maritime trade in this period.

Involvement in Both Official and Private Trade in the Song Dynasty

It was in the Song and Yuan dynasties that the Nanhai trade was fully in effect. It is also
during this period that detailed descriptions of trade with the Philippines are recorded.
The first historic reference to the Philippines appeared in the Northern Song annals
during the year 972. It is said that the office of Superintendent of Maritime Trade was
set up in Guangzhou in Guangdong and moved to Hangzhou and Mingzhou in Zheijang
to supervise the different foreign trades happening with several countries including Ma-i.
Places such as, Sta. Ana in Manila, Sta. Cruz, and Pila in Laguna are among the
archaeological sites with ceramics finds of late Song period. Excavations in Puerto
Galera in Mindoro have also found evidence of ceramics of this period.

Deep Penetration of Trade Route into the Archipelago in the Yuan Dynasty
The Eastern Route passed from South China to Taiwan, Babuyan Island, then to Polilu,
to Luzon, the Visayas, Sulu, Borneo, and finally to the Moluccas.
The Western Route passed through the coast of Vietnam through the Straits of
Malacca and westward to the Indian Ocean and on to the Persian Gulf.
Because of the Eastern Route, Chinese trade wares were provided with more outlets
which in turn resulted in a great number of ceramic yielding sites both in Luzon and the
Visayas.
Fluctuating Trade Relations in the Ming Dynasty
The interruption in the trade relations between China and the Philippines is reflected in
the corresponding less quantity of ceramic finds during the Ming Dynasty.
The trade ban was lifted during the year 1465, and direct trade contacts between China
and the Philippines were resumed.