Buried Treasure- Hoards of Buddhist and ritual objects from 1,000 years ago found buried in Southeast Asia

Many of the images and other religious objects from 1,000 years ago in Southeast Asia were discovered when farmers were digging new rice fields or when there was some excavations near temples. The idea of such a find brings thoughts of buried treasure and the dream of finding a treasure chest. This webinar will examine a few of the many hoards that have been discovered buried in Southeast Asia. We will look at the images from the Prakhon Chai hoard from mainland Thailand, the Sambas hoard from Kalimantan on Borneo, Wonoboyo hoard from Central Java and the Nganjuk mandala from East Java. Together these hoards contain hundreds of images, but we will look at an excerpt from each.

Our speaker is Sofia Sundstrom. Sofia grew up in Southeast Asia, sparking her interest in Asian art. She completed an MA in Art History at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and then went on to study for a PhD at the University of Leiden. Her research interests focus on Buddhist iconography and how cultures assimilated and adapted a new religion through its art. She has previously published a book on images of the Bodhisattva of Compassion from different countries in Southeast Asia, The Compassionate Bodhisattva. Unique Southeast Asian images of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (2020).