Cremation burial discovered in the Philippines

Abstract

The first mention of a cremation urial in the Philippines was made in 1947 when in his Outline Review of Philippine Archaeology by Islands and Provinces, H.O. Beyer reports a site in the Novalisches- Marilao district of Rizal Province which "contains a large cremation- type burial-ground with several whole porcelain pieces in each grave." (Beyer 1947). The date is placed at around the 9th-12th century A.D. by virtue of associated "Early Monochrome" Chinese export ceramics. Recent excavations have disclosed the fact that this cultural trait was apparently geographically concentrated along the coastal areas of Laguna Province bordering the south/southeastern end of Laguna de Bay and chronologically limited to a relatively brief span of time within the last phase of Philippine protohistory.