Singapore First Settlement

he first records of settlement in Singapore are from the second century AD. The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally bore the Javanese name Temasek ('sea town'). Temasek (Tumasek) rapidly became a significant trading city, but declined in the late 14th century. There are few remnants of old Temasek in Singapore, but archaeologists in Singapore have uncovered evidence of the civilization and other settlements. Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore was part of the Sultanate of Johor. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, she was set ablaze by Portuguese troops. The Portuguese subsequently held control in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th, but throughout most of this time the island's population consisted mainly of fishermen and occasional pirates.