Linguistic Archaeology: The Ruins of Runtuhan

Ruins (indonesian): runtuhan.
Associated words:

• Runtuh: to fall down
• Tuhan: God

Runtuhan is therfore formed from the words runtuh + tuhan meaning 'toppled god'. So the geographic origin of the word 'Ruins' in indonesian language refers to a toppled statue of a God (specifically Tuhan, the Toppled God).

Tuhan, The Toppled God

The island of Sulawesi comes with numerous megalithic stone statues that would qualify as gods, a few of them most certainly toppled.

That of course means that this location is originally called Runtuh-tuhan, and the toppled god was named Tuhan.

Han has some associated words:

• Hantu: ghost
• Hantjur: smashed, crushed
• Hantar: to leave (together)
• Hantam: to beat violently

So it is a haunted place of broken artefacts that the people who dwelled there left behind.