| Abstract: |
In 1998, a Metal Age burial site was discovered in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. The site was destroyed but the subsequent analysis of the recovered burial goods provides important comparative data on many aspects of early trade, technology and burial traditions in the region. The inventory of artifacts includes 78 earthenware vessels, over 1800 sherds, 130 glass beads, 31 iron tool fragments, 2 glass bracelet fragments and a few shell and stone artifacts. The quantity and variety of artifacts demonstrates that Bohol was an active participant in a regional network of maritime trade during the Metal Age. Numerous foreign goods reached the island, as well as locally and/or regionally produced Sa-Huynh Kalanay earthenwares. Moreover, a comparative analysis notes a marked increase in craft specialization and an overall trend towards variation and elaboration of burial traditions during this period.
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