Paths to Power in the Early Stage of Colonialism: An Archaeological Study of the Sultanate of Banten, Java, Indonesia, the Seventeenth to Early Nineteenth Century

This article discusses the results of our archaeological research at an important global pepper-trading center located in west Java, Indonesia, to examine the sultan’s power and the transition processes from the year 1682 when the Dutch East India Company effectively took political and economic control over the sultanate, until the official end of the Sultanate of Banten in 1813. Through the study of prestige goods and food used at the court, we critically explore power relationships in this early stage of colonialism. The results of our study suggest that European cultural influence was limited to the public domain and most aspects of the sultan’s daily life largely remained unchanged. However, the changing political structure was one factor in the eventual decline of the sultan’s power. The archaeological focus on foodways in the study presented here reveals a more nuanced understanding of these gradual political changes than has been suggested by previous archaeological research primarily based on monumental architecture and major historical events.