The Holocene Palaeogeography of the Southeast Margin of the Bangkok Plain, Thailand, and Its Archaeological Implications

The archaeological implications of a palaeogeographical model of the region surrounding an archaeological site, Nong Nor, on the southeastern margin of the Bangkok Plain are presented. The regional stratigraphic sequence provides the basis for a regional palaeogeographical model extending from Pleistocene to late Holocene times. The model comprises three major phases of landscape development reflecting the evolution of the region's landscape from an inland undulating plain completely unlike the present floodplain, through a phase of marine inundation and coastal conditions, to the present freshwater floodplain environment.' This sequence provides a geographical framework for the prehistoric occupation of the midden at Nong Nor. In particular, it is possible to describe the landscape in which the prehistoric occupants lived and the distribution of environmental resources available to these people. The palaeogeographical model also provides a chronological framework for the prehistoric occupation of the site and the construction of the midden by reference to the timing of changes in environmental processes and conditions throughout the Holocene. Finally, the palaeogeographical model provides a basis for predicting the location and ages of other prehistoric sites within the landscape; in this respect, a geoarchaeological model partitions the landscape according to the potential for presence and preservation of archaeological sites of various types and ages. KEYWORDS: palaeogeography, geoarchaeology, site distribution, Holocene, Thailand, Southeast Asian archaeology

A prehistoric copper-production centre in central Thailand: its dating and wider implications

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Developing a new project: the impact of social change on health at the late Iron Age site of Non Ban Jak in Northeast Thailand

This paper introduces on-going research by presenting the original proposal for this work. This research seeks to combine archaeological and bioarchaeological analyses, as well as theoretical perspectives from these fields, to obtain an integrated and holistic perspective of social change and its effect on health in prehistory. This approach will be tested on the archaeological and human skeletal remains from the late Iron Age site of Non Bak Jak in northeast Thailand. Social organization prior to the advent of state society in mainland Southeast Asia has long been a focus of archaeological research. The Iron Age of northeast Thailand (420 BCE-500 CE) has received particular archaeological attention, as rapid social and technological change has been identified in this region during this period. These changes include increasing social complexity, which is often associated with inequality between social groups and deterioration of population health. In contrast, bioarchaeological research in northeast Thailand has largely focused on the periods prior to the Iron Age, leaving the biocultural consequences of these late social changes relatively less well understood. Excavations at Non Ban Jak, a moated settlement and residential burial site with two distinct mounds, have been undertaken from 2011 to 2017. These have provided a well-preserved skeletal sample, unusual for this period in Thailand, making it ideal for investigating health and social change. The project underway aims to explore how a putative rise in social inequality might have affected levels of physiological stress using the holistic approach presented. Social groupings will be identified through spatial analyses of grave wealth, burial practice and location in the Esri ArcGIS programme. This programme uses statistics to identify and explore the patterning and relatedness of spatial data. Dental enamel defects and long bone lengths will provide information on physiological disruptions in growth. It is expected that this work will inform on health and social organization during a period of rapid social transition