Talam

Copper alloy

Central Java

8th-10th century

These trays, once known as tahas in the archaic Javanese tongue, have been bequeathed to modern times as talam in both Javanese and Indonesian. Interestingly enough, both terms owe their origins to the Tamil word tattam, which is a similar utensil.

Archaeological discoveries of closely related fragmentary examples from the Cirebon shipwreck have procicely dated this type to the 8th to 10th century. The traditions and customs of Hindu Java were maintained for centuries in the Hindu-Buddhist centres Central and East Java until the arrival of Islam in the 15th century.