Keramik Situs Kutai lama: tinjauan bentuk dan kronologi [Kutai lama ceramics: a review on form and chronology]

Kutai Lama merupakan salah satu kota lama yang terdapat di daerah aliran Sungai Mahakam. Salah satu bukti hubungan antara Kutai Lama dengan dunia luar adalah banyaknya sebaran pecahan keramik asing, terutama dari Cina, yang padat di sepanjang tepian sungai. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah memahami keberadaan keramik kuno di daerah aliran Sungai Mahakam. Adapun sasaran penelitian ini adalah bentuk dan variasi keramik, sehingga diketahuifungsi serta peranan keramik Cina pada masa itu. Penelitian ini dilakukan karena belum ada penelitian terdahulu yang mengulas tentang besarnya pengaruh eksistensi keramik Cina dalam perkembangan kebudayaan di kawasan Kutai Lama. Situs Kutai Lama merupakan kawasan penting bagi rekonstruksi sejarah awal perkembangan Islam di Kutai Kartanegara. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif-deskriptif, dan perbandingan-perbandingan berdasarkan literatur keramik Cina. Hasil analisis morfologi dan kronologi menunjukkan bahwa keramik Dinasti Song-Yuan mendominasi populasi temuan keramik di Kutai Lama. Hal ini menjadi indikasi komoditi dagang tersebut dihargai sebagai suatu hadiah, sehingga menjadi barang berharga yang dimiliki oleh kalangan tertentu atau tokoh masyarakat.

Kutai Lama is one of the old towns located in the Mahakam River catchment. One of the items of evidence of the relationship between Kutai Lama and the outside world is a large number of fragments of foreign ceramic, especially from China, which was densely found along the banks of the river. The objective of this study was to understand the existence of old ceramics in the Mahakam River catchment. The target of this research was the form and variation of ceramics, thus providing information on the purpose and role of Chinese ceramics then. This research was conducted because there were no previous studies that reviewed the magnitude of the influence of the existence of Chinese ceramics in the cultural development in the Kutai Lama region. The Kutai Lama site is an important area for the reconstruction of the early history of Islamic development in Kutai Kartanegara. The research method used was qualitative-descriptive, and comparative based on Chinese ceramics literature. The results of the morphological and chronological analyses showed that the Song-Yuan Dynasty ceramics dominate the population of ceramic findings in Kutai Lama. This is an indication that such trade commodity was also valued as gifts, therefore, it became valuable items owned by certain groups or community leaders.