Material Culture in 14th Century Majapahit

Abstract

Information on everyday life, common food and clothing, housing and housekeeping is extremely scarce in Javanese literature. Being primarily interested in Royalty and the Court the Nāg. poet very seldom mentions facts relating to the common people’s life and to everyday circumstances. The following remarks on those matters are based mainly on the analogy of the Javanese commoners’ life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Study of the reliefs in stone and brick found on the walls of 13th and 14th century East-Javanese temples have supplied interesting information on building in wood (Galestin, Houtbouw), and might supply information on other matters as well. But then the artists who cut the reliefs destined to be illustrations of literary tales probably idealized everyday reality. No more than the Nāg. poet were the relief sculptors concerned with the life of common people. In fact realism is not to be expected in art and letters of 14th century Majapahit.