The Loss of Austronesian Saddle Roof in the Vernacular Architecture of Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The Austronesian saddle roof is characterised by an extended ridge line resulting in outward sloping gable-ends likened to buffalo horns and boat sterns. It is one of the most distinctive and widely distributed elements in Southeast Asian vernacular architecture. This paper examines the former existence of the roof in Java, where it has been frequently depicted in the island's prehistoric and Hindu-Buddhist artefacts.The research employs a literature survey and comparative visual analysis using artefacts and interpretations in published literature as the main data. The artefacts are limited to those found in Java that have not been dated later than Java's Hindu-Buddhist period, which lasted until the 16 th century CE.The examination of the Central Javanese artefacts suggest that the Austronesian saddle has been introduced to Java in prehistoric times and had become a well-established vernacular feature by the time of Borobudur and Prambanan constructions in the 8 th to 9 th century. This is confirmed by regular representations in reliefs within a variety of narrative settings. Representations have become scarce in the East Javanese artefacts from the 10 th century onwards, where consistent representations only persist in stone miniatures. This suggests that the roof-form has been declining in popularity and may have already disappeared from the common use before the 16 th century. This could be attributed to two possible factors: environmental factors which caused suitable wood materials unavailable, and cultural factors of the coastal maritime community shifting to the hinterland become an agrarian community.There is however an exceptional case where the roof is recorded in the 20 th century West Java, suggesting that the roof may have survived in isolated pockets before disappearing altogether. The exact historic factors which have made these transformations, however, remain inconclusive due to the fragmentary evidence available. Further studies of their historic development and expand the notion of Javanese vernacular architecture as a dynamic and open-ended entity.