Early Tenth Century Java from the Inscriptions

Book excerpt: This book relates in particular to the Javanese inscriptions of the period A.D. 901-929, a time of special interest because of the transfer of royal government from Central to East Java. With the aid of inscriptions from this period, as well as before and after, it is possible to draw tentative conclusions which seek the explanation for this shift not so much in the area of political but of socio-economic history. This is the first study to pay attention to the role of socio-economic factors in early Javanese history. By examining the Old Javanese inscriptions in detail, it is possible to produce valuable information on trade—merchandise and merchants; on the administrative system as it affected the change in the country-side—the sima and the watěk; and on the many officials who were involved in the carrying out the king’s orders as the affected the change in tax-status of a foundation. The book contains full lists of various categories of items from the inscriptions which provide a basis for the renewed study of Old Javanese epigraphic materials.