The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia

From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor

By: Charles Higham

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Paperback | 10 July 1989

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404 Pages

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Southeast Asia was the scene of one of the world's major civilisations, that of Angkor, until it was sacked in the early fifteenth century. The origins of Angkor were barely known until recent archaeological excavation and field research began to reveal the region's dynamic development and to raise new questions to serve in its understanding. This important new synthesis focuses on the social world of early mainland Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Kampuchea, Laos and adjacent areas. The book begins when the area was occupied 12,000 years ago by hunters and gatherers. The author stresses the importance of sedentism and domestication. These encouraged the spread of coastal communities into the interior valleys. Particular relevance is seen in the exchange of valuables, including bronze, as symbols of status. The origins of civilisation, for long assumed to result from Indian expansion in the region, are seen as rooted in local changes, along with the selective adoption of Indian religious and political ideas within coastal cheifdoms. In bridging the gap between prehistory and history, this book will appeal not only to archaeologists but to those interested in the general history, culture and arts of Asia.

Industry Reviews

'We now, at last, have a balanced and authoritative view of the prehistory of the mainland of Southeast Asia, presented by an author who must be regarded as one of the most experienced archaeologists now working in the region ... Higham has done the discipline a great service, and this book deserves a wide readership. It would be very hard, using current knowledge, to improve upon it.' Dr Peter Bellwood, Quarterly Review of Archaeology

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Non-Fiction Archaeology Archaeology by Period & Region History Regional & National History Asian History

List of illustrations	p. vii
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Chronological table	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Aspects of diversity	p. 1
The personality of Southeast Asia	p. 5
The history of archaeology in Southeast Asia	p. 15
Themes and approaches	p. 28
Hunter-gatherer communities and early domestication	p. 31
The coast and hills of Bac Bo	p. 33
Coastal groups in Viet Nam	p. 43
A hunting and gathering tradition in the North Thai uplands	p. 45
The Northern Thai uplands: summary	p. 59
The hunter-gatherer occupation of the Chao Phraya plains	p. 61
Coastal settlement round the Gulf of Siam	p. 65
Domestication	p. 80
The expansion of domestic communities	p. 90
The Khorat plateau	p. 92
A general cultural framework	p. 99
Non Nok Tha	p. 99
Ban Chiang	p. 106
Ban Na Di	p. 113
Other excavated sites in the northern Khorat plateau	p. 117
The southern Khorat plateau: Ban Chiang Hian and related sites	p. 121
Dating General Periods A and B	p. 123
The subsistence basis of General Periods A and B	p. 130
The human remains	p. 139
The material culture of General Periods A and B	p. 141
The social organisation	p. 153
The lower Chao Phraya valley	p. 157
The lower Mekong and its hinterland	p. 169
The coastal plains of Central Viet Nam	p. 173
The Bac Bo Region	p. 175
The expansion of domestic communities and the adoption of bronze-working	p. 185
The end of autonomy and emergence of chiefdoms	p. 190
Bac Bo: the Dong Son phase	p. 192
The Chao Phraya plains	p. 204
The Khorat plateau	p. 209
The uplands of Laos	p. 228
The Vietnamese coastal plains	p. 230
The transition from autonomy to centrality	p. 233
The development of mandalas	p. 239
India and China	p. 242
Geographic regions which sustained mandalas	p. 245
The lower Mekong and the delta: A.D. c 100-550	p. 245
The delta mandalas: summary	p. 254
Mandalas of the middle Mekong and the Tonle Sap plains: A.D. 550-802	p. 254
Zhenla mandalas: summary	p. 268
The Dvaravati mandalas of the Chao Phraya plains and their antecedants: A.D. 200-950	p. 269
The Mun and Chi valleys in Northeast Thailand	p. 279
The Han: three border commanderies	p. 287
Bac Bo	p. 287
The mandalas of Champa	p. 297
The dynastic history of Linyi	p. 298
The archaeological remains of Linyi: the Cham mandalas	p. 302
Champa: summary	p. 306
The formative stages of Southeast Asian civilisation: a review	p. 306
Summary	p. 318
The Angkorian Mandala	p. 321
The dynastic history and main historic events	p. 324
Taxation	p. 344
The means of destruction	p. 346
Agriculture	p. 348
The pursuit of perfection	p. 352
Summary and conclusions	p. 353
Concluding remarks	p. 356
References	p. 363
Index	p. 379
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia

From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

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How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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