Many of the treasures in the National Museum have never been exhibited due to lack of available space. Thus the publication of this book is welcome, since it provides readers with the opportunity to see some of the unique and beautiful objects pictured here for the first time.

The wisdom and experience of the curators of the Museum are here distilled in easily comprehensible language. For many people, including those who live outside Indonesia, this will be their only chance to see these artifacts.

The Indonesian National Museum is one of the oldest in Asia, with a history dating from the late 18th century. Its collections span an immense range in time and space, covering millions of years of natural and human history, and thousands of islands scattered between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. For thousands of years from the Stone Age to the 21st century, the highly creative peoples of these equatorial isles have constantly experimented with the possibilities afforded by the inexhaustible variety of materials found in the flora, fauna, and geology of the archipelago’s coral reefs, rainforests, and volcanic peaks.

The islands’ natural wealth (spices, gold, ivory) and her people’s unrivaled seafaring skill ensured that Indonesia’s kingdoms have always had their choice of luxuries from India, China, and Europe.