| Maitum anthropomorphic burial jars | |
|---|---|
 A complete burial jar from Maitum | |
| Material | Earthenware |
| Height | 70 cm (28 in) |
| Width | 36 cm (14 in) |
| Created | Iron Age |
| Discovered | 1991 Ayub Cave, Maitum, Sarangani Province, Mindanao, Philippines |
| Present location | National Museum of the Philippines |
| Culture | Filipino |
The Maitum anthropomorphic burial jars are earthenware secondary burial vessels discovered in 1991 by the National Museum of the Philippines' archaeological team in Ayub Cave, Barangay Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani Province, Mindanao, Philippines. The jars are anthropomorphic; characterized by a design that suggests human figures with complete or partial facial features of the first inhabitants of Mindanao. Furthermore, they give emphasis to the Filipinos’ popular belief of life after death.
According to Eusebio Dizon, head of the archaeological team, this type of burial jars are "remarkably unique and intriguing" because they have not been found elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Thus, many archaeologists from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Indonesia gained interest on this initial find and a number of archaeological – either government or privately sponsored – excavations have been conducted to recover these artifacts.
These jars have characteristics that belong to the Developed Metal Age Period in the Philippines [calibrated date of 190 BC to 500 AD]. According to the laboratory results determined through radiocarbon dating, these secondary burial jars date back to the Metal Age. Two conventional dates were 1830 +/-60 B.P. [calibrated date of AD 70 to 370] and 1920 +/- 50 B.P. [calibrated date of 5 BC to 225 AD]. Experts used soot samples taken from the walls of a small earthenware vessel found inside one of the larger burial jars.[1]
- ^ Dizon, E. (1996). Faces from Maitum: The archaeological excavation of Ayub Cave. Manila: National Museum of the Philippines. pp. xi–xii, 51–53, 56–59, 73, 78–82.