Majapahit's Brickmaking: The Empire Built on Terracotta

Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History · Jul 9, 2026 · 7m · transcript

When the Portuguese arrived in Java in the early 16th century, they described a ruined city of red brick—Trowulan, the former capital of the Majapahit Empire. This episode explores the empire's extraordinary brickmaking industry, which produced millions of standardized bricks for temples, canals, and city walls. We discuss the volcanic clay of the Brantas river basin, the kiln technology of the era, and the engineering behind structures like Candi Bajang Ratu and the Tikus bathing pool. Lucas and Luna consider how brickmaking shaped Majapahit's economy, with brickmakers organized…