What was Singapore like before 1819?

The Singapore today tells us what Singapore probably was like before 1819. With that, our team will look into the relevant sources that will further illustrate Singapore during its early years. Political, economical, and social connections will be highlighted in this write-up.

After reading the online article, it seemed that political connections were one of the three main ways in which people could connect and interact with one another. The online article also tells us that the rulers from Sumatra and Malaysia seemed to have stayed in Singapore. This can be seen in the source which stated that a semi-precious stone that was only found in the streams of Malaysia and Sumatra was found in Fort Canning. Hence, this shows that political connections probably occurred between Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. For more information about the political connection among these countries, it can be found in http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19840201-1.2.19.31.aspx

The stability of this political connection has gained popularity for Singapore and people from as far as China came to Singapore to do business. This can be inferred from the sources of blue and white porcelain sherds found along the North bank of Singapore River dating back to the 14^th century. The porcelain bowl-like shapes indicate that there were people buying and selling kitchen utensils such as bowls that came from China as Chinese were known as the people that made the blue and white porcelain. As there were many Chinese living in Singapore at that period of time, the source shows that probably, the bowl-like porcelains were highly demanded by the people. 

The selected sources and artefacts mentioned indicate that Singapore was a trading centre before 1819. The discovery of porcelain shreds and Chinese coins along the North bank of Singapore River and at Fort Canning Hill respectively indicate that there were traders who came from as far as China to trade. The Chinese porcelain shows that probably there were goods exported from China. The Chinese coins indicate that money probably existed in the 14^th century and were used for trading. Hence, Singapore probably served as an international trading port at that period of time. Barter trade was the system that had been used at this period of time. The coins were found in Fort Canning Hill during the 14^th century. Therefore, coins, also known as money, seemed to be used as another type of trade in Singapore during the 14^th century.  

Political and economic factors formed an indication for us to gauge as to what social and cultural aspects of people’s lifestyle at that time. Inference was made from the two artefacts found, - a collection of gold ornaments and a local product called ‘Earthenware’. In short, Earthenware is the general term for pottery which is not porcelain or other types such as freeware or stoneware. Firstly, the collection of gold ornaments stated that the people living in Singapore before 1819 were respectful towards their Gods. This can be supported by the background information which indicated that the armlet has the design of a Hindu God, Kala. Moreover, the armlet was hung at the entrance of the temple. With that, we can infer that people could have been religious to an extent back then. From our understanding, modern-age people are generally more analytical and data-driven, hence, they are prone to coming up with scientific reasonings instead. It is no wonder that people in the 14^th century were more religious owing to their lack of education received. 

Secondly, a local product called ‘Earthenware’, which was found along the Singapore River, was used in the 14^th century. From the source’s background information, it can be inferred that ‘Earthenware’ appeared to be a highly demanded type of pottery in Singapore’s social and cultural past. It states in the background information that there were no cooking pots in the past. Hence, the people in the past used Earthenware to replace the cooking pots. As people would not eat food that is uncooked, the existance of Earthenware is imperative. 

Judging by all the sources gathered, our team has made a conclusion that life in Singapore before 1819 was simple and interesting before the invention of technology. The political, economical, and social aspects led to Singapore gaining its popularity throughout other parts of the world.  

Done By:Running Man(Grp Name)
            Nadine
            Jing Ting
            Melissa 
            Kimberly
            Razza