130 - 669 M
The transition of Tatar Sunda from the prehistoric period to the historical era was marked by the emergence of early kingdoms. Salakanagara is often regarded as one of the oldest political entities in the Indonesian archipelago, estimated to have been established around the second century CE. In manuscript traditions, this kingdom is associated with Dewawarman I and the western coastal region of Java.
The name Salakanagara means "Land of Silver." Interestingly, the Greco-Roman geographer Claudius Ptolemy mentioned a port called Argyre, which also means silver, located in the western part of the island of Java. This semantic similarity suggests that the Tatar Sunda region had already been recognized within the information and trade networks of the ancient world.
After Salakanagara, Tarumanagara emerged as a major kingdom with stronger historical evidence. This kingdom left behind several inscriptions written in Pallava script and Sanskrit. King Purnawarman became the central figure who demonstrated the political and technical capacity of the kingdom, particularly through the excavation projects of the Candrabaga and Gomati Rivers, as recorded in the Tugu Inscription.
Tarumanagara’s hydraulic projects served not only to control flooding but also to strengthen irrigation and food production. Through inscriptional evidence and diplomatic relations with China, Tarumanagara demonstrated that Tatar Sunda had entered the phase of an organized state civilization.