Catch ‘em When the Water is Low: Longue Durée Hypothesis on Floodplains Fishing and its Rhythm in the Palembang and Jambi Region of Sumatra

Abstract

Fishing and wetlands have in many cases been essential facets of life but are often overlooked in archaeological and historical research. In this article, we focus on the floodplains of the Palembang and Jambi region of Sumatra, where both of these aspects are comprehensively entwined. The floodplain fisheries there are highly productive, and function in a rhythm with the hydrological cycle of the rivers. By combining the pre-existing archaeological, historical and ethnographic information with modern environmental data, we propose a longue durée hypothesis for their use in the past. We also examine how floodplains fishing may have contributed to the provisioning of Palembang and Jambi, and how it would have fit in with other aspects of Sumatran culture such as floodplain rice cultivation and overseas trade. This is achieved by linking the production schedules with the sailing seasons simulated with qtVlm navigation software.