Borneo Schematic [repack] 〈Quick × 2025〉

Dating Methods: AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoal pigments (where preserved) and calcium carbonate crusts overlying/underlying pigment. Additionally, thermoluminescence (TL) dating of associated pottery shards found on shelter floors.

The Schematic tradition is markedly distinct from its predecessor (Table 1). borneo schematic

Fage, L. H., & Chazine, J. M. (2009). Borneo, Memory of the Caves . Le Kalimanthrope. Dating Methods: AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoal pigments

Tan, N. H. (2014). Rock art research in Southeast Asia: A synthesis. Arts , 3(1), 73-104. Fage, L

The rock art of Borneo is broadly classified into two main chronological and stylistic phases: the early "Mega-fauna" or Naturalistic tradition (c. 40–20,000 BP) and the later "Schematic" tradition (c. 4000–500 BP). The Borneo Schematic tradition, characterized by abstract geometric motifs, anthropomorphs with raised arms, sunbursts, and boat-shaped figures, represents a radical shift in symbolic behaviour. This paper synthesizes current archaeological evidence from sites across East Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sarawak (Malaysia), and Sabah (Malaysia). It argues that the Schematic tradition is not a degenerate form of earlier naturalism but a deliberate symbolic system associated with Neolithic Austronesian expansion, shamanistic ritual practice, and the marking of agricultural landscapes. Through analysis of motif distribution, superimposition, and direct radiocarbon dating of pigment and associated materials, this paper establishes a robust chronology and offers an interpretive framework based on ethnographic analogy with contemporary Dayak and Punan art.

The lattice/tapis motif echoes the woven patterns used in ritual cloths that contain protective spiritual power ( semangat ). Placing such patterns on cave walls may have "activated" the shelter as a ritual locus for rainmaking, head-hunting success, or agricultural fertility.