| Abstract: |
Indian potsherds and hundreds of glass and carnelian beads have been discovered in the sites of Sembiran and Pacung in northeastern coast of Bali. The Indian potsherds consist of Indian Rouletted Ware sherds: two specimens of Wheeler's Arikamedu type 10, a rim sherd of type 18, a base sherd of type 141 and one graffito sherd which is believed to be inscribed in Kharoshthi or Brahmi script. Results of X-ray diffraction and neutron activation analyses conducted on a number of samples of Rouletted Ware from Bali, India and Sri Lanka suggest that all contain similar minerals: these pieces must therefore come from one place or localised geological zone of manufacture. Glass beads have also been analysed and are believed to be similar to South Indian samples. The presence of Indian Rouletted sherds and glass beads in northeastern Bali indicates that contacts between India and Bali were occurring in the beginning of the first millennium AD. The northern coast of Bali was located on a major trade route which delivered spices and fragrant woods from the Moluccas and Lesser Sundas to ports in western Indonesia.
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