Andrea Acri, Roger Blench, Alexandra Landmann (eds), Spirits and Ships ; Cultural Transfers in Early Monsoon Asia

The volume under review consists of eleven essays, seven of which are papers that were presented at the conference entitled “Cultural Transfer in Early Monsoon Asia : Austronesian-Indic Encounters.” All the essays, and a useful introduction (“Introduction : Re-connecting Histories across the Indo-Pacific,” pp. 1-37), are linked by their interest in the (early) history of maritime Southeast Asia, and the values, concepts, and practices shared by the people of this expansive region. As usual wi..

The Sea and Seacoast in Old Javanese Court Poetry: Fishermen, Ports, Ships, and Shipwrecks in the Literary Imagination

This article analyses some of the less well-known passages in Old Javanese kakawin court poems, in which the sea and seacoast are represented. Unlike classical Malay literature, Old Javanese texts show little interest in the socio-cultural environment of the seacoast, and even less information is provided about the maritime environment of the open seas that enclose the island of Java. Yet, the seascape as a natural environment of substantial aesthetic beauty is often marked by Javanese poets, and represented as one of the targets of the so-called royal “pleasure trips,” and locus where kawi poets can immerse in a sort of aesthetic rapture, called laṅö in Old Javanese. In four sections, I discuss the literary motifs that develop the theme of the sea and seacoast: the activity of fishermen, a unique description of a harbour, and often metaphorical depictions of ships and shipwrecks.Cet article analyse certains des passages les moins connus des poèmes de cour kakawin du vieux Javanais, dans lesquels la mer et le littoral sont représentés. Contrairement à la littérature malaise classique, les textes en vieux-javanais s’intéressent peu à l’environnement socioculturel du littoral et fournissent encore moins d’informations sur l’environnement maritime de la haute mer qui entoure l’île de Java. Pourtant, le paysage marin, en tant qu’environnement naturel d’une grande beauté esthétique, est souvent évoqué par les poètes javanais, représenté comme l’un des buts des “voyages d’agrément” royaux, et comme un lieu où les poètes kawi peuvent se plonger dans une sorte de ravissement esthétique, appelé laṅö en vieux javanais. En quatre sections, j’aborde les motifs littéraires qui traitent du thème de la mer et du littoral : l’activité des pêcheurs, une description unique de port, et des représentations souvent métaphoriques de navires et de naufrages

The figure of "pañji" in Old Javanese sources; What is in a name?

Literary and epigraphic references to the figure of pañji in Old Javanese texts are analysed, and contextualised with much better known references to the figure of Pañji in Middle Javanese texts. A hypothesis is offered that Old Javanese term pañji is best rendered as ‘court-name’. It is argued that young boys from elite families obtained their familiar court-name (pañji) at the very onset of their career at the court, where they served as pages and attendants of the royal family. They were also trained in arms, religious lore, and arts. Being since their childhood close to the king, they were trusted persons, and some of them made careers as high-ranking court officials, such as Dəmung or Kanuruhan. Others, denoted ācārya, were trained as ‘masters of divine weapons’, Tantric ritual specialists, who were in charge of the so-called ‘divine weaponry’ (diwyāstra), mantra-infused ordinary weapons, an arsenal well-known in Old and Middle Javanese texts. Vestiges of this ritual lore have survived in Java until modern times. </p

The Loincloth, Trousers, and Horse-riders in Pre-Islamic Java: Notes on the Old Javanese Term Lañciṅan

The Old Javanese term lañcingan is analysed in detail. Considered by previous scholars to designate “trousers,” it is demonstrated that Old Javanese literary and epigraphical record does not preclude the possibility that in pre-Islamic Java lañcingan denoted an elaborate variety of loincloth, especially the loincloth used in the context of warfare. It is shown that only in the 14th century CE Javanese texts make a distinction between the loincloth (cavět) and trousers (lañcingan). Yet another term, gadag, denoting exclusively “trousers,” is attested in textual record first in the 14-15th centuries CE. In the second part of the article a hypothesis that the bifurcated lower garment has first been introduced in Java through cultural influences of Islam is questioned. An alternative hypothesis is offered that trousers, related to mounted warfare and increased mobility, were adopted earlier than claimed by previous scholars, already sometime between the 12th-14th centuries CE, as an element of Javanese (battle) dress. The introduction of trousers is seen as part of a complex process of the elaboration of horse-riding techniques and specialized equipment, such as improved saddles.Le mot vieux javanais lañcingan est analysé en détail. Considéré jusque là comme désignant le « pantalon », il est démontré que les sources littéraires et épigraphiques en vieux javanais n’excluent pas la possibilité que dans la Java pré-islamique, lañcingan faisait référence à une forme élaborée du pagne, en particulier le pagne utilisé dans un contexte guerrier. Il est montré que c’est seulement au XIVe siècle que les textes javanais distinguent le pagne (cavět) du pantalon (lañcingan). En fait, un autre mot, gadag, renvoyant exclusivement à « pantalon », est attesté dans les sources écrites des XIVe-XVe siècles. Dans la seconde partie de l’article, l’hypothèse selon laquelle le vêtement scindé aux cuisses ait été introduit à Java en relation avec des influences culturelles de l’Islam est mise en question. Une autre hypothèse est offerte, selon laquelle le pantalon, lié à la guerre à cheval et à une mobilité croissante, ait été adopté plus tôt qu’affirmé précédemment, déjà entre les XIIe et XIVe siècles, comme élément du costume (guerrier) javanais. L’introduction du pantalon est vue comme l’un des aspects du processus complexe d’élaboration des techniques de monte du cheval, telles que les selles améliorées

Liquor in Glass Vessels: A Note on Glassware in pre-Islamic Java and on its Socio-Religious Symbolism

Textual evidence on glassware in Old Javanese kakavin poetry is discussed. Export of Middle Eastern and Chinese glass vessels to ancient Southeast Asia is documented in the archaeological and historical record, though – compared to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra – reported finds of glass vessels and their fragments in Java are very limited. Old Javanese kakavins suggest that imported glass vessels, denoted by the term gәḍah, were associated in court circles with the socio-religious framework of Siddha alchemy, and viewed as ritually powerful containers, used to store and serve alcoholic beverages, in particular those with high alcohol content, such as the drinks based on fermented, and probably aged, sugarcane juice. The glass cup metonymically represented the liquid which it contained, and it shares a metaphoric association with sanctified copulation perceived as a ritual act that belongs to Siddha Tantrism. The ultimate origin of the Old Javanese gәḍah is most probably the Arabic term qadah, one of the very early Arabic loanwords in Javanese.Cet article traite des preuves textuelles concernant la vaisselle de verre dans la poésie kakavin en vieux javanais. L’exportation de vaisselle de verre moyen-orientale et chinoise vers l’Asie du Sud-Est est documentée par l’archéologie et les sources historiques, cependant – en comparaison de la péninsule malaise et de Sumatra – les trouvailles de vaisselle de verre et de ses fragments sont très peu nombreuses à Java. Les kakavin vieux-javanais semblent indiquer que la vaisselle de verre importée, exprimée par le terme gәḍah, était associée dans les milieux palatins avec le cadre socio-religieux de l’alchimie Siddha, et considérée comme des contenants puissants rituellement, utilisés pour conserver et servir des boissons alcoolisées, en particulier celles à fort degré d’alcool, telles les boissons à base de jus de canne à sucre fermenté et probablement vieilli. Métonymiquement, la coupe en verre représente le liquide qu’elle contient, et partage l’association métaphorique de la copulation sanctifiée perçue comme acte rituel dans le cadre du tantrisme Siddha. L’origine ultime du mot gәḍah en vieux-javanais est très probablement le mot arabe qadah, l’un des plus anciens emprunts du javanais à la langue arabe

The sling and the blowgun as combat weapons in pre-Islamic Java; Notes on Old Javanese terms gaṇḍi and tulup

Two Old Javanese terms, gaņḍi and tulup, are discussed in detail. While the term tulup appears to be unproblematic, gaņḍi has previously been identified with a score of weapons, including bow, club, war hammer, and sling. I argue that the original meaning of this enigmatic term is ‘projectile, pellet’, while its second, derived meaning refers in most cases to ‘sling’, and, occasionally, to ‘blowgun’. Both weapons are represented in the Old Javanese textual record as the weapons associated with predatory warfare, and with the forces of adharma. I have tentatively suggested that this configuration reflects the pre-modern reality of slingers and the men equipped with blowguns perceived as essentially foreign, non-Javanese elements, and hence possibly identified by pre-modern audiences with mercenaries sourced from Sumatra or other parts of Indonesia where the sling and blowgun were used regularly in warfare. </div

Capture and sorting of multiple cells by polarization-controlled three-beam interference

For the capture and sorting of multiple cells, a sensitive and highly efficient polarization-controlled three-beam interference set-up has been developed. With the theory of superposition of three beams, simulations on the influence of polarization angle upon the intensity distribution and the laser gradient force change with different polarization angles have been carried out. By controlling the polarization angle of the beams, various intensity distributions and different sizes of dots are obtained. We have experimentally observed multiple optical tweezers and the sorting of cells with different polarization angles, which are in accordance with the theoretical analysis. The experimental results have shown that the polarization angle affects the shapes and feature sizes of the interference patterns and the trapping force

Observations of a PT-like phase transition and limit cycle oscillations in non-reciprocally coupled optomechanical oscillators levitated in vacuum

We explore the collective non-Hermitian dynamics of a pair of non-conservatively coupled optomechanical oscillators. The oscillators consist of silica nanoparticles optically levitated in vacuum in two parallel pairs of interfering counter-propagating laser beams. By adjusting the relative phase, polarization, and separation of the trapping laser beams, we set the optical interaction between the particles to be purely non-reciprocal. Continuously varying the relative power of the trapping beams over a predefined range takes the system through transition, analogous to a parity-time (PT) phase transition. Decreasing the dissipation rate within the non-equilibrium phase induces a Hopf bifurcation resulting in the formation of collective limit cycle oscillations similar to those observed in phonon lasers. Such systems provide a novel platform for exceptional point optomechanical sensing and due to their wide flexibility and tunability of the interactions can be extended to multi-particle systems, paving the way for the development of topological optomechanical media

Synchronization of spin-driven limit cycle oscillators optically levitated in vacuum

We explore, experimentally and theoretically, the emergence of coherent coupled oscillations and synchronization between a pair of non-Hermitian, stochastic, opto-mechanical oscillators, levitated in vacuum. Each oscillator consists of a polystyrene microsphere trapped in a circularly polarized, counter-propagating Gaussian laser beam. Non-conservative, azimuthal forces, deriving from inhomogeneous optical spin, push the micro-particles out of thermodynamic equilibrium. For modest optical powers each particle shows a tendency towards orbital circulation. Initially, their stochastic motion is weakly correlated. As the power is increased, the tendency towards orbital circulation strengthens and the motion of the particles becomes highly correlated. Eventually, centripetal forces overcome optical gradient forces and the oscillators undergo a collective Hopf bifurcation. For laser powers exceeding this threshold, a pair of limit cycles appear, which synchronize due to weak optical and hydrodynamic interactions. In principle, arrays of such Non-Hermitian elements can be arranged, paving the way for opto-mechanical topological materials or, possibly, classical time crystals. In addition, the preparation of synchronized states in levitated optomechanics could lead to new and robust sensors or alternative routes to the entanglement of macroscopic objects