Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVII

3 0 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I D eep within Indonesia's unrelenting jungle of choking vegetation and gnarled groundcover, an intrepid researcher in the mid- 1970s stumbled and slashed his way through the hostile setting in search of mythical spirit roads that worshipers might have travelled in ancient times toward a remote temple or holy site. Local guides led the search. The jungle growth likely had long since consumed the shrines, but here and there might just remain a segment of sculpture that would verify the existence of such a path and its implications for those long- forgotten people and their spiritual pilgrimages. As barefoot guides hacked through dense underbrush, the Westerner examined and documented each minute segment of carved animal or chipped pillar that the jungle reluctantly revealed. It mattered little whether such finds were valuable commodities that could bring the researcher wealth and reputation; instead, their value was in affirming the historical importance and the unique history of this region of Indonesia and of those ancestors who had trekked the paths or carved the art that once lined the spirit roads. Such fantastical searches with often serendipitous finds were repeated all over the world, from South America to Turkey to Indonesia to China and back again. No environments were too challenging – whether it required crawling through caves, searching shipwrecks or galloping on fine horses across deserts. The fictional Indiana Jones captured the imagination of millions of filmgoers as he gallivanted around the globe extracting treasures from improbable locales. However, that character actually might have envied real-life scholar of history, Michael C. Teller IV, a world-renowned researcher, author and Asian antiques expert residing in Williamsburg, Virginia. Impeccably attired in his typical crisp white monogrammed shirt, four- in-hand knotted silk tie, and neatly tailored suit, Teller has been in approximately 1000 tombs, ventured into jungles, searched sunken TK Asian Antiquities Headquarters located in Williamsburg, Virginia. An additional gallery is located on Madison Avenue in New York.