via Frontiers of Architectural Research, 12 December 2023: Archaeological research at Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex in Bujang Valley, Kedah, Malaysia, has revealed the urbanization process of ancient Kedah. The study emphasizes Sungai Batu’s role in iron smelting and trade, aligning with Kevin Lynch’s urbanization principles. Key findings include evidence of river jetties, port management, rituals, and Buddhist monuments, demonstrating a systematic and planned urban development influenced by geographical features and economic activities. Two points of note: I wonder why a paper about urbanism in the archaeological record is being published in an architecture journal; and most of the chronometric dates cited in the paper come from unpublished theses.
Archaeological research at the Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex (SBAC), which has been carried out until 2023, aims to complete the chronological data and urbanization process of the ancient Kedah. This study will especially prove that the ongoing urbanization process is aimed at developing the iron smelting industry and trade in ancient Kedah, especially in SBAC. This is because archaeological research at SBAC has proven that with the existence of the ancient Kedah iron smelting workshop at SBAC, river jetties, port management, rituals, and Buddhist monuments began to be erected, all of which can be determined by chronometric dating. The results of the chronometric dating have proven that the ancient Kedah Kingdom existed since the 6th century BC and was oriented towards the trade of iron resources, which allowed the use of the area to grow rapidly. The process of urbanization and land use clearly conforms to Lynch’s principle, which emphasizes the principles of 1) paths, 2) edges, 3) districts, 4) nodes, and 5) landmarks in the development process of land use and urbanization in the complex.
