From the Bronze Age to the Iron Age in Thailand: Applying the Heterarchical Approach

The archaeological evidence of social groups in Thailand has long been noted for not conforming to the standard paradigms of social organization. This paper investigates the concept of heterarchy before turning to consider current conceptions of the Bronze and Iron Ages in Thailand. New evidence from a recently excavated site, Ban Lum Khao, is considered and evaluated in the context of the eXlstmg knowledge of the period. The current understanding of the Iron Age is also evaluated and enhanced through the incorporation of data from two sites in northeast Thailand, Non Muang Kao and Noen V-Loke. The paper concludes that the data from prehistoric Thailand are better interpreted from a heterarchical perspective. The possible causative factors of stratified social organization are considered from a heterarchical perspective, examining ceramic production, mortuary practice, demography, and environment. KEYWORDS: Heterarchy, archaeology, Thailand, Bronze Age, Iron Age, hierarchy

Archaeology and Archaeozoology of Phum Snay: A Late Prehistoric Cemetery in Northwestern Cambodia

This paper analyzes faunal remains excavated from the late prehistoric cemetery of Phum Snay in northwestern Cambodia. The material comprises two different components: (1) animal bones as grave goods and (2) bone fragments originating from settlement activities. The mammal and bird remains from the graves derive exclusively from domestic animals and include water buffalo, cattle, pigs, and possibly a chicken. In most cases, one or two limbs from the left side of the body of one or two species were deposited in a grave. Fish were also incorporated in the grave cult. The animal bones found in nonburial contexts reveal a broad-spectrum foraging economy that exploited a wide range of ecosystems: forests, grass- and marshlands, rivers, and inundated fields, resulting in the capture of deer, boar, smaller carnivores, cranes, tortoises, turtles, monitor lizards, crocodiles, and fish. KEYWORDS: animal bones, burial goods, economic activities, late prehistoric time, Cambodia

A preliminary report on the excavation of an Iron Age cemetery at Phum Snay, Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia, 2003

Phum Snay is a village located along National Route 6 in Preah eat Prey District, Banteay Meanchey Province, Northwest Cambodia (48P UTM 0305983/ 1506856 13"37'26.3" E1030 12'23.5") (Figure 1). The village of Snay is located on the edge of a large natural mound, three km in diameter. It is one of several small hamlets that exist on the edge of this hummock. The Preah Neat Prey River is located\ud approximately 100m to the west of the site. During 2000, roadwork was undertaken to link the village with National Route 6. This construction work revealed the presence of a number of inhumation burials. Unfortunately the discovery of burials led to the looting of the site by the villagers. Investigation proved the burials to be prehistoric, and they were associated with a great deal of material culture including bronzes and semiprecious stones. In order to save what little archaeological material remained at Phum\ud Snay excavations were undertaken in 2001. This work revealed a number of inhumation burials with associated grave goods

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