History of the Philippines
The history of what is today The Philippines started with the arrival of its first humans. It is believed they used rafts or boats around 60,000 years ago, with groups of diverse people settling in the archipelago. Some of these groups started to develop and expand into bigger settlements and in the next thousands of years, they evolved into what some scholars believe to be considered early states. Austronesians and, afterward, speakers of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, began to arrive in successive waves beginning about 4000BC. According to the existing evidence, a jade culture existed on these lands, starting with the Neolithic era. By 1000 BC, it is believed that the inhabitants of the archipelago had developed into four distinct kinds of peoples: tribal groups, warrior societies, petty plutocracy, and harbor civilizations. Also important to note is the fact that metallurgy reached the archipelago due to trade with India. Around 300–700 AD, the seafaring peoples of the islands began to trade with the Indianized kingdoms in the Malay Archipelago and the nearby East Asian principalities, adopting influences from both Buddhism and Hinduism. Some cultures of present-day Vietnam showed evidence of an extensive trade network. Artifacts and goods were traded such as glass, agate, or gold. There were also other items present in the region that were most likely imported, including ear ornaments that have been found in archaeological sites in the Philippines,Thailand, and Taiwan. The Indian culture influenced The South East Asian region starting with 1st Century AD. During the period of the south Indian Pallava dynasty and the north Indian Gupta Empire, Indian culture spread to Southeast Asia, and it reached the Philippines, which led to the establishment of new kingdoms largely influenced by Indian culture and traditions. The date inscribed in the oldest Philippine document found so far, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, is 900 AD. From the details of the document, written in Kawi script, the bearer of a debt, Namwaran, along with his children, is cleared of a debt by the ruler of Tondo. It is the earliest document that shows the use of mathematics in pre-colonial Philippine societies. A standard system of weights and measures is also demonstrated by the use of precise measurement for gold and other items, as well as in astronomy.