Agriculture[edit]

The Banaue Rice Terraces, they are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine
Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old,
which are a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Early Filipinos were good agriculturists. A report during the time of Miguel Lpez de
Legazpi noted of the great abundance of rice, fowls, wine as WELL as great
numbers of carabaos, deer, wild boar and goats in Luzon. In addition, there were
also great quantities of cotton and colored clothes, wax, honey and date palms
produced by the natives. In the Visayas, according to another early report, rice,
cotton, swine, fowls, wax and honey abound. Leyte was said to produce two rice
crops a year, and Pedro Chirino commented on the great rice and cotton harvests
that were sufficient to feed and cloth the people
Duck culture was also practiced by the natives, particularly those
around Pateros and Taguig City. This resembled the Chinese methods of artificial
incubation of eggs and the knowledge of every phase of a duck's life. This tradition
is carried on until modern times. [1]
The Ifugaos of the mountainous region of the Cordilleras built irrigations, dams and
hydraulic works and the famous Banaue Rice Terraces as a way for assisting in
growing crops around 1000 BC.[1]
Art of War[edit]
Further information: Filipino martial arts
High quality metal casting, artillery, and other metal works had been traditions
throughout the ancient Philippines. The metal smith, or panday
piray of Pampanga was skilled at making weapons, and many individuals with the
surnames Viray and Piray are said to be descendants of people who were once
members of the guild of smiths who followed the tradition of the panday pira.[1]
Early Filipinos used small arquebuses, or portable cannons made up of bronze.
Larger cannons, on the other hand, were made of iron and resembling culverins
provided heavier firepower. The iron cannon at Rajah Sulaiman III's house was about
17 feet long and was made from clay and wax moulds. [1]
Guns were also locally manufactured and used by the natives. The most fearsome
among these native guns was the lantaka, or swivel gun, which allowed the gunner

to quickly track a moving target.[1] Some of the weaponry used by the natives was
quite unusual. For instance, one weapon was the prototype of the modern-day yoyo, and it returned to is owner after being flung at an opponent.
Swords were also part of the native weaponry. Making of swords involved elaborate
rituals that were based mainly on the auspicious conjunctions of planets. The
passage of the sword from the maker entailed a mystical ceremony that was
coupled with superstitious beliefs. [1] The lowlanders of Luzon no longer use of
the bararao, while the Moros and animists of the South still continue the tradition of
making kampilan and kris.[1]
In addition to weaponry, the early Filipinos made good armor for use in the
battlefield and built strong fortresses called kota or moog to protect their
communities. The Moros, in particular, had armor that covered the entire body from
the top of the head to the toes. The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that
averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height
around 2000 BC.[1][2]
Education and writing[edit]

Laguna Copperplate Inscription (c. 900), a thin copperplate document measuring

less than 8x12 inches in size, shows heavy Hindu-Malayan cultural influences
present in the Philippines during the 10th Century.
See also: Ancient Philippine scripts and Enrique of Malacca
Early Filipinos devised and used their own system of writings from 300 BC, which
derived from the Brahmic family of scripts of Ancient India. Baybayin became the
most widespread of these derived scripts by the 11th century.
Early chroniclers, who came during the first Spanish expeditions to the islands,
noted the proficiency of some of the natives, especially the chieftain and local kings,
inSanskrit, Old Javanese, Old Malay,and several other languages.[3][4][5]
Maritime culture and aquaculture[edit]

Native boats and outriggers as depicted in The history and conquest of the
Philippines and our other island possessions; embracing our war with the
Filipinos by Alden March, published in 1899. Caption (cropped out) read: "Boats of
the upper type were used to land the U.S. troops at Manila. One of those in which
the Astor Battery landed sank in the surf just before reaching shore. The natives
carried the men ashore on their shoulders. The lower boat is a fisherman's craft
used by the Negritos, who shoot fish in the clear water with bows and arrows."
Early Filipinos, being descendants of the balangay-borne Austronesian migrants
from Maritime Southeast Asia,[6] were known for their navigational skills. Some of
them used compass similar to those used among maritime communities
of Borneo and traders of China, although most had no need for such devices. In
modern times, some fishermen and traders in
the Visayas, Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan can still navigate long distances over open
water without the use of modern navigational instruments. [1] Philippine ships, such
as the karakao orkorkoa were of excellent quality and some of them were used by
the Spaniards in expeditions against rebellious tribes and Dutch and British forces.
Some of the larger rowed vessels held up to a hundred rowers on each side besides
a contingent of armed troops.[4] Generally, the larger vessels held at least
one lantaka at the front of the vessel or another one placed at the stern. [1] Philippine
sailing ships called praos had double sails that seemed to rise WELL over a
hundred feet from the surface of the water. Despite their large size, these ships had
double outriggers. Some of the larger sailing ships, however, did not have
outriggers.
Communities of ancient Philippines were active in international trade, and they used
the ocean as natural highways.[4] Early Filipinos were engaged in long-range trading
with their Asian neighbors as far as west as Maldives and as far as north as Japan.
[1]
Some historians even proposed that they also had regular contacts with the
people of Western Micronesia because it was the only area in the Oceania that had
rice crops, tuba (fermented coconut sap), and tradition of betel nut chewing when
the first Europeans arrived there. The uncanny resemblance of complex body
tattoos among the Visayans and those of Borneoalso proved some interesting
connection between Borneo and ancient Philippines. [1] Magellan's chronicler, Antonio
Pigafetta, mentioned that merchants and ambassadors from all surrounding areas
cameto pay tribute to the king of Sugbu (Cebu) for the purpose of trade. While
Magellan's crew were with the king, a representative from Siam was paying tribute

to the king.[1] Miguel Lpez de Legazpi also wrote how merchants

from Luzon and Mindoro had come to Cebu for trade, and he also mentioned how
the Chinese merchants regularly came to Luzon for the same purpose. [1] The
Visayan Islands had earlier encounter with the Greek traders in 21 AD.[7] Its people
enjoyed extensive trade contacts with other
cultures. Indians, Japanese, Arabs, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Thais, Malays and Indo
nesians as traders or immigrants.[8][9]
Aside from trade relations, the natives were also involved in aquaculture and
fishing. The natives make use of the salambao, which is a type of raft that utilizes a
large fishing net which is lowered into the water via a type of lever made of two
criss-crossed poles. Night fishing was accomplished with the help of candles made
from a particular type of resin similar to the copal of Mexico. Use of safe pens for
incubation and protection of the small fry from predators was also observed, and
this method astonished the Spaniards at that time. [1] During fishing, large mesh nets
were also used by the natives to protect the young and ensure future good catches.
Mining and jewelry making[edit]
Mining in the Philippines began around 1000 BC. The early Filipinos worked various
mines of gold, silver, copper and iron. Jewels, gold ingots, chains, calombigas and
earrings were handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. Gold
dagger handles, gold dishes, tooth plating, and huge gold ornamets were also used.
[1]
In Laszlo Legeza's "Tantric elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art", he
mentioned that gold jewelry of Philippine origin was found in Ancient Egypt.
[1]
According to Antonio Pigafetta, the people of Mindoro possessed great skill in
mixing gold with other metals and gave it a natural and perfect appearance that
could deceive even the best of silversmiths. [1] The natives were also known for the
jewelries made of other precious stones such as carnelian, agate and pearl. Some
outstanding examples of Philippine jewelry included necklaces, belts, armlets and
rings placed around the waist.
Pottery[edit]
The ancient Philippines had a very rich tradition of pottery as verified by the finds at
Ayub Cave in South Cotabato and other parts of the islands. Japanese texts
mentioned trading expeditions to the island of Rusun(Luzon) for the highly prized
Rusun and Namban jars occurred. Japanese texts were very specific about these jars
being made in Luzon. The Tokiko, for example, calls the Rusun and Namban jars, Rusun tsukuruor Lu-sung ch'i (in Chinese), which means simply "made in
Luzon."[1] These Rusun jars, which had rokuru (wheel mark), were said to be more
precious than gold because of its ability to act as tea canisters and enhance the
fermentation process