| Abstract: |
The <i> Benteng Puteri Hijau</i> or Fort of the Green Princess is located to the south of the Lau Petani River in Namu Rambe subdistrict, opposite the town of Deli Tua, Deli Serdang regency in the province of North Sumatra. It appears to have been a centre of a polity known as Aru, which was finally obliterated by Aceh in 1612, after which the name Aru disappears from the historical record. The fort is actually an extensive series of earthworks which make ingenious use of local topography. Indeed, to describe the site simply as a fort is a misnomer. Despite the name, which suggests a purely military use, it is actually an extensive fortified settlement complex. Recent archaeological research affirms that the <i> Benteng Puteri Hijau</i> site has been occupied from at least the 13th century CE through to the present and that it had external connections, either direct or indirect, with China and other parts of Southeast Asia throughout most of this period. Field surveys were undertaken in the mid / late 1970s and again in 1984 and 2007. Controlled excavations have been undertaken in 2008 and 2009 and are in hand yet again. Archaeological recoveries in the form of imported ceramics originate from the Chinese Yuan (1279-1360), Ming (1360-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) periods. Other ceramic recoveries from the site originate from Burma, Thailand and Vietnam and also Europe.
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