JAKARTA - Archaeologists have discovered VOC building structures and bullets at Speelwijk Fort through excavation activities carried out by the Regional Cultural Preservation Agency (BP) VIII Banten Province in Kasemen District, Serang City, to uncover the veil of history of colonial relics.
Pamong Budaya at the Banten Cultural Preservation Center Adita Nofiandi, in Serang, Saturday, explained that this year's excavation was a continuation project to continue last year's findings, with a focus on research in the interior of the eastern side of the fort.
"Our target is to strip the land according to the specified layout. So far, the clear findings are the foundation structure of the former building and the floor structure which is still intact," said Adita.
Apart from the building structure, the archaeological team also found various important artifacts such as foreign ceramic fragments and metal objects. One of the findings that caught attention was a round bullet that was suspected to have come from the VOC era.
"Yesterday, my colleagues found a round bullet that is usually used for a VOC-era pistol. In addition, we also found the floor structure of bricks and terracotta whose orientation continues the previous findings," he said.
Adita emphasized that the structure of the building that was found was planned to remain visible and not be closed again to complete the historical narrative regarding the period and cultural patterns at that time.
On the other hand, Adita also highlighted the challenge of utilizing space in cultural heritage areas which are often used by residents around to exercise, such as playing football, because there is a lack of public open space for the local community.
"This is indeed a problem on the one hand we are preserving cultural heritage, on the other hand the community needs a space for expression. We hope that the local government can facilitate a sports space for residents so that the use of cultural heritage remains in accordance with Law Number 11 of 2010," he said.
The excavation activities involving this team of students are planned to last until next weekend. The results of this finding will be recorded and processed as a reference for future historical research in the Banten region.
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