Secondary Two History - Chapter One

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Temasek Secondary School - History Department

Was there Singapore Was there Singapore before 1819?before 1819?

Chapter 1


Word Splash

Can you explain these important terms / names?


In this chapter, you will learn about:


How do we obtain information about Singapore before 1819?

We learn about the past through studying historical sources.

There are two types of historical sources: primary and secondary.

What is a primary source?

What is a secondary source?

A source that originates from someone who experienced a historical event first-hand, or which originates from the historical time period under study

A source that builds on primary sources Temasek Secondary School - History Department

How do we know what we know about Singapore before 1819?

Information about Singapore before 1819 comes mainly from three types of sources: written records, visual evidence and archaeological artefacts.

Two important written records are the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) and the Dao Yi Zhi Lue (Description of the Barbarians of the Isles).


The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals)

A famous Malay literary work believed to be written around the 16th century

Tells us about the founding of Singapura by Sang Nila Utama (pg 3 of your textbook)

Also gives us other information on pre-1819 Singapore:

“Singapura had become a great city to which foreigners arrived in great numbers

so that the fame of the city and its greatness spread throughout the world.”


Dao Yi Zhi Lue by Wong Dayuan

Wong Dayuan was a famous Chinese merchant who travelled frequently across Southeast Asia in the 14th century.

“When compared to the products available at the Malay Peninsula, the quality and type of products (in early Singapore) were certainly unique. “

“Temasik has become a great and famous place visited by large numbers

of foreigners.”


Food for Thought

Some historians say that the great trading city of Singapura recorded in the Sejarah Melayu was probably a myth. When Raffles landed in 1819, he found only a sleepy fishing village.

Compare the quotes from the Sejarah Melayu and the Dao Yi Zhi Lue (in the boxes on Slides 6 and 7). Are there any similarities?

Based on your answer above, do you think the great city described in Sejarah Melayu was a fact or a myth? Why?

How can you explain Singapura being only a sleepy fishing village in 1819 if it was a great city in the 14th century?

They both describe Singapura as a great trading city which many foreigners visited.

Probably a fact as the two sources support each other.

It is a very big time difference, during which certain events may have happened to change Singapore’s status as a great city.


Archaeology

To uncover more information about the past, we turn to archaeology.

Archaeology is the study of the past through discovering and analysing artefacts from the past.

Read through pages 7 and 8 of your textbook, and answer the questions on the next slide.


Archaeology

What are the two archaeological sites mentioned?

How do you think the discovered artefacts ended up in Singapore?

What can you infer about Singapore’s economy / trade?

What else can you infer about Singapore’s society?

Do these artefacts support or disprove the great trading city depicted in the Sejarah Melayu and the Dao Yi Zhi Lue?

Fort Canning and Kallang River

Through traders / visiting foreigners

Thriving economy based on trade with many other countries, such as China, Sri Lanka and Vietnam

Probably a prosperous society due to the thriving trade and also due to the quality of artefacts found (such as gold)

SupportsTemasek Secondary School - History Department

Singapore after the 15th Century

The last king of 14th century Singapore was a Palembang chief called Parameswara.

He was driven out from Singapura by invaders and then went on to find the great trading city of Melaka, after which Singapore lost its importance as a trading port.

Artefacts seem to indicate that Singapura continued to function as a port to service ships trading with China, but little else is known until Raffles arrived in 1819.


Recap Questions

What are the three main types of sources that give us information about Singapore before 1819?

What are the two pieces of work that give us information about Singapore before 1819?

What was Singapore like in the 14th century? How do we know?

What happened to Singapore after the 15th century?

Why do you think we know so little about Singapore until after the arrival of Raffles in 1819?


Secondary Two History - Chapter One

Education

Transcript of Secondary Two History - Chapter One