Maitum and the Anthropomorphic Jars

Burial Jars With Human Faces Modelled On Their Lids, Found In A Cave In 1991 And Looted Before The Archaeologists Arrived · Maitum, Sarangani

IN 1991 SECONDARY BURIAL JARS WERE RECOVERED FROM AYUB CAVE AT MAITUM WITH HUMAN FACES AND FIGURES MODELLED ON THEIR LIDS - eyes, noses, open mouths, arms, some with expressions that read as grief and some that read as calm. They are among the most striking prehistoric objects ever found in Southeast Asia, dated roughly to the last centuries BC and the early centuries AD, and THEY WERE MADE TO HOLD THE BONES OF THE DEAD after the flesh was gone. WHAT SHOULD BE SAID PLAINLY: THE CAVE WAS LOOTED BEFORE THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS REACHED IT, and an unknown quantity of material was lost or sold before anything was recorded. THE ORIGINALS ARE IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN MANILA. WHAT IS AT MAITUM IS THE CAVE, A LOCAL MUSEUM AND REPLICAS, on a quiet stretch of Sarangani coast that very few outsiders reach. Take a local guide, because the interpretation on site is thin and the cave itself is largely empty - the story is what was made here, and what was taken before 1991.

Ayub Cave, Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani, Maitum, Sarangani, Philippines

MAITUM IS IN SARANGANI, roughly TWO TO THREE HOURS BY ROAD FROM GENERAL SANTOS, which has an airport with flights from Manila and Cebu. THE LOCAL MUSEUM keeps daytime hours with a modest fee and HOLDS REPLICAS AND INTERPRETATION - THE ORIGINAL JARS ARE IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN MANILA and should be seen there. AYUB CAVE ITSELF IS REACHED BY A SHORT WALK AND CLIMB and there is little to see inside; guides are arranged locally. THE COAST ROAD THROUGH SARANGANI is the pleasure of the trip, past fishing villages and Gumasa's beaches. SARANGANI SITS OUTSIDE THE MAIN TYPHOON BELT and is dry for much of the year. Carry cash. Check current travel advice for parts of central Mindanao before planning an overland route.

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