Ancient Jewellery of Myanmar

This book is a labour of love, the result of Terry’s long involvement in the field of ancient ornaments, as a researcher and artist, offering his own interpretation on the creations of ancient craftsmen in his homeland. It is Terry’s sincere wish that this book will fill a gap in publications on this specific topic and that it may be useful to other researchers in the field of ancient ornaments from Myanmar.

Terence Tan (Terry Tan) has researched the ancient ornaments of Myanmar for almost three decades. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration, a Master’s degree in Archaeology and is a PhD Candidate in Archaeology. He has presented numerous papers at international conferences and has been a visiting lecturer in the USA at the universities of Yale, Harvard and Northern Illinois. He has been invited to present his work in the UK at Jesus College, Oxford University; in Singapore at the National University (NUS) and in Thailand at Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok) and Chiang May University. In his native Myanmar, Terry has lectured extensively at Yangon University and at other learning institutions. His publications include articles in journals and magazines, including Arts of Asia. Terry is also an accomplished jewellery designer, deriving his inspiration from a long involvement in the research and documentation of ancient ornaments. He is an acknowledged expert in his field and has displayed his collection at a solo exhibition in New York. In Myanmar, he is a frequent designer-artist guest at the MRTV-4 channel.

This book on ancient ornaments is the first of its kind in Myanmar and one of the first in the region. The book covers ornaments from Prehistory to the Pyu period. It is hoped that a subsequent publication will cover the remaining eras, to the Konbaung dynasty founded by King Alaungpaya (r. 1752–1760). King Thibaw, the last King of the Yadanabon period, was also the last King of the Konbaung dynasty and the last king of Myanmar. He was exiled to India during British colonial rule.

In this book, Terry traces ornamental evolution in Myanmar and offers new concepts and hypotheses borne out of his long involvement in the field. He also makes an impassioned appeal for the safeguard of this priceless cultural heritage, that it may be cherished in our present times and protected for the benefit of future generations, that they may also know the creative genius of Myanmar’s ancient craftsmen and artists. Terry also addresses the thorny issue of provenance and its implications for his country’s cultural heritage.