SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO. 23
September 2008
EDITORS
ELISABETH A. BACUS
806 Eaglenest Ave.
Akron, OH 44303
USA
eabacus@msn.com
&
RASMI SHOOCONGDEJ
Dept. of Archaeology
Silpakorn University
Bangkok 10200 Thailand
rasmis@mozart.inet.co.th
Greetings! Please note that past issues of the Newsletter – nos. 9 through 19 – are available online
(with sincere thanks to the University of Michigan Library) at:
errwpc.umdl.umich.edu/public/2/8/6/2864607.html
Remember, if you have any suggestions for improving the Newsletter, please let us know.
We are continuing to distribute the Newsletter primarily by e-mail, but will continue to send
copies by regular mail to our colleagues who are not on e-mail. Please send us contributions for
the next issue by 1 May 2009.
REMEMBERING ROXANNA BROWN
(1946-2008)
Excerpt of Ian Glover’s tribute to Roxanna Brown given at the EurASEAA12 conference (1-5 September,
Leiden, The Netherlands):
I am sure that many people here knew Roxanna and many more will perhaps have heard
something of her tragic death while in the custody of US agents at a Federal Detention Center at
SeaTac Airport, Seattle on in the early morning of May 15th this year aged only 62. Many
colleague and friends have paid tributes to Roxanna in web blogs, lectures emails and newsletters
but as I had known Roxanna for over 30 years and taught her briefly in the mid 1970s I want at
this international conference today to pay my own brief contribution to these tributes.
Roxanna was Director of Bangkok University’s Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum and a
leading expert, perhaps the world’s leading expert, on Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade
Ceramics, and she had developed at Bangkok University with the encouragement and financial
support of Khun Surat Osathanugrah, the finest exhibition of these in Southeast Asia in which
was almost certainly the best designed museum in Thailand.
Roxanna was born in 1946 on the family chicken farm in Illinois and brought up in
Chicago in modest circumstances. She once told me that, as a teenager, she had spent so much
time peeling prawns for her family’s chicken and fish business that she could not face eating
prawns ever again.
After graduating in journalism from Colombia University she became interested in
Southeast Asian art after visiting her brother Fred Leo Brown in 1968 in Australia, where he was
recovering from a Vietnam War wound. With her degree in journalism she made her way to
Saigon, where she joined the international press corps, travelled around Vietnam in the early
1970s examining kiln sites – sometimes accompanying US Marines on their ‘Search and Destroy’
operations by helicopter. She later studied Asian ceramics at Oxford and London Universities and
in Singapore with William Willets. In Hong Kong Roxanna edited Arts of Asia for a while and
with two partners was instrumental in starting the International Asian Antiques Fair before
returning to Southeast Asia to continue her research on kiln sites and the trade in ceramics.
In the 1980s when researching Thai and Lao ceramic sites Roxanna met and married her
Mon-Thai husband, Jo Ngerntongdee, and had a child, Jaime who survives her.
In 1982, in Bangkok, Roxanna was knocked off a motor bike by a tuk-tuk and run over by
a truck which, it is reported, deliberately backed over her attempting to kill her and in
consequence she lost one leg and suffered many other injuries. After a long and painful
recuperation in Thailand and California supported by her family and friends, showing
extraordinary determination, she was able to return to her research on trade ceramics, latterly
concentrating on the cargoes of the many wreck sites in South Chinese and Southeast Asian seas.
From 2002 Roxanna was Director of Bangkok University’s Southeast Asian Ceramics
Museum at its Rangsit Campus and in 2006 was awarded a PhD for her thesis, The Ming Gap and
Shipwreck Ceramics in Southeast Asia.
In early May this year Roxanna had gone to visit her cousin in Seattle and to speak at a
conference co-sponsored by UCLA and the University of Washington. She was arrested on May
9th while at dinner in a hotel as part of a US five-year, undercover investigation into Thai artifacts
acquired by some Southern California museums and galleries. Federal agents had previously
raided several museums and a Los Angeles gallery in January and an affidavit filed by the
investigators said that Jonathan and Cari Markell – the owners of one of the California galleries –
had used Roxanna’s electronic signature several times to falsify appraisal forms for ceramics said
to be from Ban Chiang, the well-known prehistoric site in Northeastern Thailand. The Markells
were neither charged nor arrested. These raids followed an undercover investigation by a
National Park Service special agent who posed as a collector interested in various artifacts. The
agent learned that some of the artifacts managed to pass through U.S. customs because they had
“Made in Thailand” labels affixed to them, making them appear to be replicas, which some may
well have been.
After her arrest Roxanna was given a perfunctory medical screening at the prison and was
too ill to appear in court at the weekend, but did appear briefly the following Tuesday. She was
charged with one count of wire fraud, allegedly for allowing art collectors to use her electronic
signature to overstate the value of items they donated to museums; the donors then being able,
fraudulently, to claim tax deductions.
Roxanna died during the night of the 14th–15th May, despite repeated cries for help,
reportedly of an infection brought on by a perforated ulcer. After her death, the charges against
her were dropped. An investigation into the circumstances of her arrest and death, led by her son
Jaime and her brother Fred Brown is in progress.
As you may imagine all her friends and colleagues are outraged and saddened by such an
unnecessary and tragic end to a brilliant scholar. Roxanna's brother, Fred Brown posted a moving
portrait of her early life as a reporter during the Vietnam War on ‘You Tube’ – tags Asian Art
Roxanna M. Brown Historian Southeast Asia).
Roxanna Brown’s many scholarly works include:
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1973. The Dating and Identification of Southeast Asian Ceramics. MA Thesis, University of Singapore.
1975/6. Preliminary Report on the Koh Khram Sunken Ship. Oriental Art 21(1): 356-70.
1977. The Ceramics of South-east Asia: Their Dating and Identification. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University
Press. (Reprinted Singapore: OUP, 1988.)
1977. Legend and Reality: Early Ceramics from South-East Asia. Kuala Lumpur/New York.
1979. (ed. with Adrian Joseph) Southeast Asian and Chinese Trade Pottery. Hong Kong: The Oriental
Ceramic Society of Hong Kong.
1989. Guandong Ceramics: From Butuan and other Philippine Sites. Makati, Metro Manila: Oriental
Ceramic Society of the Philippines, Oxford University Press.
1997. Ceramics Inventory. In Archaeological Recovery of the Java Sea Wreck, eds. William Mathers and
Michael Flecker. Annapolis: Pacific Sea Resources, pp. 116-81.
1997. Xuande-marked Trade Wares and the ‘Ming Gap’. Oriental Art 43(2): 2-6.
2000. (with Sten Sjostrand) Turiang: A Fourteenth Century Shipwreck in Southeast Asian Waters. Los
Angeles: Pacific Asia Museum.
2002. Sangkhalok and Asia. In Sangkhalok-Sukhothai-Ayutthaya and Asia, ed. Charnvit Kasetsiri.
Bangkok: The Foundation for the Promotion of Social Science and Humanities textbooks Project, pp. 7492.
2002. (with Sten Sjostrand) Maritime Archaeology and Shipwreck Ceramics in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur:
Department of Museums & Antiquities.
2004. The Ming Gap and Shipwreck Ceramics in Southeast Asia. PhD dissertation, University of California
Los Angeles. At the time of her death Roxanna was preparing her thesis for publication by the Siam
Society, Bangkok
2005. Ming Ban – Ming Gap: Southeast Asian Shipwreck Evidence for Shortages of Chinese Trade
Ceramics. In Proceedings: Chinese Export Ceramics and Maritime Trade, 12th-15th Centuries, eds. Pei-kai
Cheng, Guo Li and Chui Ki Wan. Hong Kong: Chinese Civilisation Centre, City University of Hong Kong,
pp. 78-104.
2004-2008. The Southeast Asian Ceramics Newsletter from the Bangkok University Ceramics Museum
which Roxanna edited and largely wrote.
Coverage of the tragic circumstances surrounding her arrest and death is available from
the website of the Seattle Times. The Los Angeles Times also has a three-part story available on
their website (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-roxanna11-2008sep11,0,4690964.story;
A 2004
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-roxanna12-2008sep12,0,5477398.story).
article about Roxanna's pathbreaking research on SEA trade ceramics is available on UCLA’s
website at: www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/article.asp?parentid=16359.
REQUESTS FOR PUBLICATIONS & SIGNATURES
ON-LINE PETITION TO SUPPORT THE ISTITUTO ITALIANO PER L'AFRICA E
L'ORIENTE (ISIAO). An initiative undertaken by the Italian Government is aimed at closing
down the Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO). Our Italian colleagues are trying to
avoid such an eventuality, which would spell the end of an Institution that is unique in Italy and
which has been active at the international level in the fields of archaeology, restoration and
conservation of cultural heritage, scientific research and publishing in the different fields of
African and Asian studies for over 100 years. Therefore, they have launched an on-line
subscription to an open letter addressed to the President of the Italian Republic. This letter is
available on-line on the web site: www.giuseppetucci.isiao.it You are invited to sign (name,
surname, university/institution, country) this petition as well as to ask other colleagues and
Institutions to do likewise.
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Dougald O'Reilly and Hor Lat, Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology, and the students would like
to express their gratitude to those who donated books and articles to the Royal University of Fine
Arts in Phnom Penh. These items were deeply appreciated. The library of the Royal University
of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh though is still in serious need of archaeology textbooks and other
archaeology publications, so please send any such publications to them C/O Dr. Dougald
O’Reilly, HeritageWatch, 33 Sothearos Blvd. Phnom Penh, Cambodia). For further information,
contact Dougald at: doog@mobitel.com.kh
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE ANTHONY F. GRANUCCI FUND.
This announcement is targeted towards
archaeologists who are nationals of Indonesia and Timor Leste. The Anthony F. Granucci
Fund, through the Australian National University (ANU), will make capital available to fund
small research grants to qualified applicants. The fund has been established to encourage
younger researchers – in general those under the age of forty five – who are of Indonesian and
Timorese nationality or who are resident in the Republic of Indonesia or the Republic of Timor
Leste. Researchers may be in collaboration with non-qualified parties in connection with their
projects. The Fund will provide: a) One or more research grants per annum to researchers
submitting worthy proposals within the topic area; b) Funds to assist in the translation of papers
into English for their publication and dissemination.
The topic area shall be the prehistory and protohistory of the geographical area covered at
the time of the creation of the fund by the territory of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic
of Timor Leste. For purposes of this fund, prehistory and protohistory shall include the time
period beginning from 40,000 BP to and including the early metal age (to 1000 BP). Topics
falling outside these geographic and temporal ranges may be considered for prizes and grants
when they include a significant aspect inside the range such as, by way of example, interactions
between indigenous cultures and Indic influences or comparative studies of issues and material
outside and inside the geographical area.
Awardees of grants shall be obligated to submit reports on their work and utilisation of
funds and to submit a final report or paper in the Indonesian or English languages. If a paper has
not been published, a portion of the grant could be used towards the costs of translating the paper
into English (if necessary or advisable for broad circulation) and assisting in the publication of
the article or paper. The deadline for the next round of funding is 31 December 2008. For
further details, see: http://arts.anu.edu.au/arcworld/ippa/ippa.htm
NSF-ARIZONA ACCELERATOR MASS SPECTROMETRY OUTREACH PROGRAM.
The University of Arizona NSF-Arizona Mass Spectrometry Laboratory is announcing a program
to foster scholarly research in developing nations. The program’s objective is to provide
radiocarbon dates at no cost to colleagues who, due to limited funding or limited instrumental
infrastructure, would not otherwise have access to accelerator mass spectrometry.
Twenty AMS radiocarbon dates per year will be awarded to successful applicants in the
fields of archaeology, geoscience, and environmental science.
Applications are being accepted from Southeast Asian and the Pacific Island nations at
this time. Qualifying nations include Burma, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Philippines, and all indigenous Pacific Nations. Australia, Brunei, French Polynesia,
Hong Kong, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand are excluded.
The Application Process. The application process requires the submission of a brief
project description, including a detailed description of the samples, their contexts, and their
significance (2 pages maximum). Applicants must also submit an NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory
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Sample Submission Form and the Dating Agreement Form. These are available on-line at:
www.physics.arizona.edu/ams
A single applicant may request up to three (3) AMS dates per project, per year. Closing
dates are January 1, May 1 and September 1 in each year, and in each round the committee will
allocated approximately one third of the 20 dates available for each calendar year.
Successful applications will have several characteristics, crucially: 1) The proposal
should show scientific merit and clearly demonstrate that AMS radiocarbon dating is appropriate
to address the question at hand. 2) The project’s principal investigator should be based in the
country in which the project is conducted, and should be directly and actively involved in
conducting and completing the project.
Applicants must also agree to publish the dates within scholarly journals and make them
freely available to other researchers upon request. Acknowledgement of the program and the
NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory in any papers, reports and publications that develop from the
project would be appreciated.
For more information, feedback, and submission of applications, please contact one of
the following:
Felicia Beardsley
Peter Bellwood
Greg Hodgins
Dept. of Sociology &
School of Arch &
NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory
Anthropology
Anthropology
University of Arizona
University of La Verne
ANU
1118 E Fourth Street
1950 3rd Street
Canberra ACT 0200
Tucson, Arizona
La Verne, CA
Australia
USA 85721
USA 91750
peter.bellwood@anu.edu.au
ghodgins@physics.arizona.edu
beardsle@ulv.edu
NEW INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MAP OF AUSTRALASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY. A new
interactive digital map (http://sahultime.monash.edu.au/) has been developed by Matthew Coller,
of the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, to model changes in the
Australian coastline with the rise and fall of sea levels over the past 100,000 years.
Accompanying the map are images and text showing key archaeological sites and the possible
routes that were undertaken by humans in their journey to Australia during the last Ice Age.
SHERD LIBRARY AT NUS. The National University of Singapore Museum, part of the NUS
Centre for the Arts, has decided to allocate space to a Sherd Library. This facility will house a
wide-ranging reference collection of ceramics from archaeological sites along the Silk Road of
the Sea, which linked West, South, Southeast and East Asia.
The Sherd Library will provide facilities where scholars and students of all levels from all
over the world can view and handle earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware for the purpose of
comparative research. For this purpose, the Museum is seeking donations of sherds from as many
sites as possible. We hope to collect sherds from all types of archaeological sites, from kilns in
their countries of origin, to sherds from shipwrecks and from habitation sites.
The Museum would like to solicit donations for this unique facility. The Museum is
willing to pay the cost of packing and shipping. We will also provide a copy of the book
Earthenware in Southeast Asia in exchange for larger sherd collections. Should donors wish,
their names will be prominently displayed (though those who may prefer to remains anonymous
may do so), and those using the collection will be required to cite the name of the donor in any
publications which make use of their donation.
Please address all inquires, suggestions, etc. to: Prof John Miksic, Southeast Asian
Studies Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570.
Email:
cfav2@nus.edu.sg
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THE SIR GEORGE STAUNTON PRIZE for an article by a young scholar. The Royal
Asiatic Society announces the introduction of a new prize for essays produced by young scholars
('young scholar' being defined as either someone in the process of completing their PhD or
someone who has been awarded their doctorate within the previous five years) working on the
history, archaeology, literature, language, religion, archaeology and art of Asia. The focus is not
limited to any specific region within Asia or to any particular discipline, something that reflects
the broad remit of the Society's activities and interests. Award-winning submissions will be
published in the Society's peer-reviewed Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. No rigid limit is
imposed on the length of the contribution but it should be appreciated that the most suitable
length is c. 6,000 words. Submissions should be in 'hardcopy' on A4 sheets with double spacing
accompanied by an electronic version. Alternatively scholars may submit as an email attachment
to the address link on their web site (www.royalasiaticsociety.org/fellowships.html), or sent by
post to: The Journal, The Royal Asiatic Society, 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD.
WEB SITES & BLOGS
ABIA SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY INDEX. The
Annual Bibliography of Indian Archaeology is an annotated bibliographic database for
publications covering South and Southeast Asian art and archaeology. The database is freely
accessible at: www.abia.net Extracts from the database are also available as bibliographies,
published in a series by Brill.
THE ARCHAEOLOGY CHANNEL at: http://www.archaeologychannel.org/
BAN CHIANG METALS DATA from the 1974 and 1975 excavations are now on line at:
http://seasia.museum.upenn.edu/. Click the middle icon for searchable and downloadable data.
CARTE INTERACTIVE DES SITES ARCHÉOLOGIQUES KHMERS (www.cisark.org/).
The board of the Inventory program of the Ministry of Culture and Fine
Arts of Cambodia is very pleased to announce a new website dedicated
to archaeological research into ancient Khmer civilization.
NEW ASIA BOOKS (www.newasiabooks.org), a new website developed by IIAS, features
current publications (including on Asian archaeology) – books which are not older than one year
– and is updated on a daily basis. The website also includes book reviews, and scholars are
encouraged to add reviews, or submit comments and opinions.
SOUTHEAST ASIA IN THE ‘MING SHI-LU’ (http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/) is a unique
reference project of the Asia Research Institute and The Singapore E-Press, both of National
University of Singapore. This work identifies all of 3000+ references to Southeast Asia
contained within the Ming Dynasty reign annals, and provides them to readers in Englishlanguage translation. The database is indexed for place- and personal names, and is fully
searchable. In addition to the more obvious polities of maritime and mainland Southeast Asia, the
database also includes references to many Yunnan Tai polities that have since been incorporated
within the Chinese state.
SOUTHEAST ASIA VISIONS (http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/s/sea/index.php) is a collection of
European travel accounts of pre-modern Southeast Asia from Cornell University Library’s John
M. Echols Collection. The site provides online access to more than 350 books and journal articles
written in English and French. The works in the collection were selected for the quality of their
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first-hand observations and, together, provide a comprehensive representation of Southeast Asia.
Along with their narratives, these accounts include some 10,000 images, drawings, photographs,
prints and maps, many of them in color. One of the objectives of this project is to make these
texts and images accessible via the Internet to students and scholars worldwide. It presents
scholars an excellent opportunity to look anew at pre-modern Southeast Asia.
SOUTHEAST
ASIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
website
at:
www.seaarchaeology.com/v1/html/about.html
SOUTHEAST ASIAN CERAMICS MUSEUM NEWSLETTER is available on-line at:
museum.bu.ac.th/index.html
SEAARCH—THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY NEWSBLOG at:
http://seaarch.wordpress.com/
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY has made its
archaeological slide collections and associated databases (including of sites in and materials from
Southeast Asia) available on-line to researchers and the general public at:
www.lsa.umich.edu/umma/research/onlinecatalogs
RESEARCH REPORTS
“THE TIES THAT BIND”: A “BIOMORTUARY” ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF
MIGRATION AND TRAVEL ON POPULATION DYNAMICS, KINSHIP AND SOCIAL
ORGANIZATION DURING THE NORTHERN VIETNAMESE NEOLITHIC by Damien
Huffer, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University.
In northern Vietnam, the mortuary and midden/occupation site of Man Bac, in Ninh Binh
province, represents the best opportunity yet to build a comprehensive picture of the lives and
deaths of a late Neolithic (c. 3,800 BP) community. The excellent preservation of most skeletons
and burial goods is currently allowing for comprehensive analyses of all aspects of palaeodiet,
health, demographics, individual and group migration, and socio-cultural organization as
observed through burial practices. My doctoral research will first focus on expanding and
updating mortuary archaeological analyses conducted for my MA, submitted in 2005. At that
time, only 47 burials were known, but now, after the 2007 excavation season, 95 individuals are
at hand. One of the most important results of this ongoing analysis was that all individuals were
interred as part of discrete clusters. Usually containing at least one adult and several children,
from a socio-cultural perspective it appears likely that these clusters represent family or kin units.
Burial in this manner is common throughout later prehistory region-wide, but a completed
mortuary analysis at Man Bac will further illuminate sociocultural “rules” of interment unique to
this community. With this framework, the influence of genetic/kin relationships, migration and
travel can be examined.
In light of the difficulties with aDNA analysis from prehistoric remains, any examination
of biological kinship within a prehistoric community must rely heavily on nonmetric trait
analysis. In this vain, cranial, dental and infracranial nonmetric trait data, for both adults and
subadults, will be analysed, and any resulting patterns will be spatially analysed for burial
proximity and differences/similarities in mortuary treatment. On a larger scale, the nonmetric
data from Man Bac will also be compared to that obtained from the site of Con Co Ngua (c. 5,000
BP), belonging to the early Vietnamese Neolithic. Preliminary nonmetric analysis of this site
(focused solely on cranial data) was conducted ten years before (Parker 1998), however, no late
Neolithic populations such as that of Man Bac were available to compare it to then. Nonmetric
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comparison between these two sites will allow for the degree of population interaction or
replacement occurring in the region during the Neolithic to begin to be understood, especially in
light of the incipient domestication of plants and animals (possibly even rice) occurring in the
region, if not at Man Bac itself.
Material cultural, especially ceramic, analyses currently being conducted suggest that
Man Bac was well positioned within a multi-community trade network. It is hoped that
preliminary Sr/O18 data currently being analysed will reveal the “importation” of people,
whether by sex or on an individual bases. It is hoped that at least a few individuals will possess
isotopic signatures different enough from the local mean to suggest an ex-situ birth or childhood,
and if so, differences in mortuary treatment and degree of inclusion in any suggested kin
networks could illuminate sociocultural or genetic “signatures” (or consequences) of
immigration. As a final aspect of this analysis, musculoskeletal stress marker data, primarily for
the lower limbs, will be collected and analysed to look for robusticity differences between the
sexes. If they exist for the lower limbs, a likely causal factor would be differences in the amount
and difficulty of travel across the landscape during life. It is hoped that comparing this
information with that mentioned above, as individuals, between sexes, and between burial
clusters, can further illuminate what significance, if any, travel and migration during life had on
social organization and burial practices. Overall, I intend to further examine whether or not the
“biomortuary” approach, using these specific analytical methods and Man Bac as a case study, is
the best way to achieve a detailed understanding of daily life during Southeast Asian prehistory.
COLLABORATIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF FORTIFICATION
FEATURES AT CO LOA by Nam Kim, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois,
Chicago.
With funding from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Henry Luce Foundation,
along with the American Philosophical Society, I recently completed dissertation fieldwork in
Vietnam. This project was conducted in close collaboration with the Hanoi Institute of
Archaeology, and it examines political centralization at the site of Co Loa in Vietnam’s Red
River Valley during the Dongson Culture Period (ca. 600-258 BC). Co Loa, Vietnam’s first
capital, is crucial to understanding embryonic conditions for state development and the origins of
Vietnamese civilization. While Chinese Han historical sources deny in situ cultural development
and emphasize Han colonization of Vietnam at 111 BC as the catalyst for state emergence,
Vietnamese oral traditions describe the emergence of indigenous kingdoms centuries prior to
colonization. Specifically, oral traditions maintain that the Vietnamese Au Lac Kingdom was
established ca. 258 BC, with the Co Loa Citadel as its designated capital. This project seeks to
evaluate the accuracy of these conflicting depictions through archaeological evidence.
Purportedly built by the Au Lac polity, Co Loa’s set of three massive earthen ramparts
suggest the presence of a state-like society before Han colonization, and that warfare may have
played a crucial role in emergent complexity. Satellite images and surveys confirm the existence
of the three rampart enclosures (Outer, Middle, and Central Walls), with the Outer Wall having
an 8 km circumference and enclosing 600 hectares of territory. Although oral traditions indicate
construction during the third century BC, we do not yet know if the material record supports this
claim. Hence reliable dating and construction chronology for the fortifications are of central
concern.
To date, none of Co Loa’s fortification features have ever been systematically
investigated, making our project the first of its kind. Over the course of two field seasons in 2007
and 2008, we completed excavations through a section of the Middle Wall and its outer ditch.
Though our findings are still preliminary, we have been able to identify a number of construction
sequences, along with various building techniques. In addition, we have discovered what appears
to be earlier fortification features buried beneath the earthen rampart. This buried set of defensive
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features may be the earliest fortification features ever found in Vietnam. Finally, we have
uncovered a significant amount of artifacts and organic materials, and the next step is to perform
post-excavation analyses to determine chronology for all of the features and visible construction
sequences.
As I am the first foreigner allowed to excavate at Co Loa, this joint project represents a
significant foundation for cross-cultural interaction and future scholarly collaborations between
Vietnam and the US. Given the historical significance of Co Loa, various Vietnamese
constituencies have visited our excavations, including geologists, historians, students, and
government officials, such as the former Vietnamese president and the current deputy prime
minister. We have also had several foreign researchers visit our site, including scholars from
Japan, China, and Korea. Ultimately, project results will have broad implications for state
formation theory and ongoing debates concerning the origins of Vietnamese civilization.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AT BAN RAI AND THAM LOD
ROCKSHELTERS IN PANG MAPHA DISTRICT, MAE HONG SON PROVINCE, THE
NORTHWESTERN OF THAILAND by Rasmi Shoocongdej, Department of Archaeology,
Silpakorn University, Bangkok 10200.
Introduction. The project took place in highland Pang Mapha, a small district in Mae Hong Son
Province, Northwestern Thailand. This area is a borderland between Thailand and Myanmar as
well as the Shan state. Significantly, Pang Mapha has distinct biological and cultural diversities
composed of various ethic groups who recently migrated into this area over the past several
decades including Shan (Tai), Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Hmong, and Lua. Pang Mapha has long been
the target of several government modernizing policies, which have been forced by international
donor agencies, including opium eradication, elimination of shifting agriculture, and forest
degradation.
Foundation of Archaeological Heritage Management. This area has been quite marginalized
and relatively archaeological unknown to Thai archaeologists and the public since American
archaeologist excavated the Spirit cave searching for the origin of agriculture in Southeast Asia in
1969. Over two seasons, between 2002-6, I was a principle investigator of the Highland
Archaeology Project, a multidisciplinary research project involving archaeology, physical
anthropology, and dendrochronology, and carried out as a long term research in Pang Mapha,
Mae Hong Son Province. This research project addresses a series of general issues concerning
the evolution of social organization and the nature of culture change in seasonal tropical
environments. Specifically, this research aimed to elucidate the cultural history of this
archaeologically poorly known part of Thailand. The research aims included: 1) to investigate
and reconstruct the paleoenvironment in Pang Mapha; 2) to study the relationships between
humans and their environments; and 3) to study the past social and cultural development in
highland Pang Mapha as well as to establish a local cultural chronology, in particular, the
processes of changes in social organization through time.
From an academic perspective, the Highland Archaeology Project has revealed
remarkable new data and contributed a body of knowledge to the archaeology of Thailand and
Southeast Asia. Over 60 sites were discovered during the survey. The site occupations vary in
age. Site types include burial, habitation, manufacturing, ceremonial, and rock painting sites. In
2002, the Ban Rai rockshelter was excavated, and the Tham Lod rocksheleter was excavated in
2003. The two excavated sites are representative of sites in the region, and date from the Late
Pleistocene to Recent period (22,350 B.P. to over 300 years ago). From a local community
perspective, this project has increased the experience of Thai archaeologists working closely with
multi-ethnic communities who do not share languages and cultures with the majority “Thai”
ethnic group. The research results are an important knowledge-base for local communities to use
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in managing their cultural resources such as using the archaeological sites as learning centers for
school children and tourist attraction.
Summary of Significant Finds. Tham Lod Rockshelter: 1. The Oldest Modern Humans found
in Northern Thailand. Excavations uncovered human skeletal remains from three individuals.
The skeletal remains of two individuals from Tham Lod rockshelter are the oldest homo sapien
sapiens found in northern Thailand. The other human skeleton is an old man from Ban Rai
rockshelter, which dates to the early Holocene (9,720 ± 50 BP). Skeleton no. 1 from Tham Lod,
an extended burial of an adult of undetermined sex, was found at a depth of 46 cm from the
surface, and dates to 12,100±60 BP. A hammerstone was found on top of a femur of this
skeleton. This burial was associated with mostly freshwater shellfish and a few land snails.
Skeleton no. 2 is a flexed burial of an adult female aged between 25 and 30 years old with an
estimate height of 152 cm, which is dated to 13,640±80 BP. It was found beneath Skeleton no. 1.
Above the burial, three large pebbles had been laid in circle. Faunal remains and flakes were
associated with the burial. A hammerstone was placed on top of a radius and ulna. Additional
analyses of human remains include a facial reconstruction of Skeleton no. 2 from Tham Lod
rockshelter and the Ban Rai skeleton as well as DNA analysis of log coffin teeth.
2. The Late-Pleistocene Lithic Workshop. Tham Lod rockshelter is the largest excavated
lithic workshop found in Thailand dating to Late Pleistocene period. High densities of lithic
artifacts were found in areas II and III of Tham Lod rockshelter, including lithics from all stages
in the lithic reduction sequence. Raw materials include sandstone, quartzite, mudstone, andesite,
siltstone, and slate. Sandstone is the dominant raw material.
Ban Rai Rockshelter: 1. The “Iron Age” Log Coffin Cemetery. The log coffin culture is
a distinctive mortuary practice in highland Pang Mapha. From survey, over 50 sites of this type
have been discovered to date. Log coffins, composed of two pieces of coffin laid over six posts,
were mostly made of teak wood. Generally, log coffins are placed in deep and complex caves. In
the case of Ban Rai rockshelter, it is different from the location of other rockshelters as it has a
vast open air area and is situated nearly on the top of limestone mountain range. The Ban Rai
rockshelter is the largest “iron age” log coffin cemetery and the only one found in Highland
Pang Mapha.
2. Wood Working Craft Specialization. Most of the log coffins and posts were made
from teak trees (Tectona grandis L.) and the trees’ age spans range approximately from 41 years
to 270 years. It seems that the natural environment around the study area in the past included a
dense mixed-deciduous forest with dominant teak species. There are 15 log coffins at Ban Rai
rockshelter for which the head (or handle) styles can be classified into five styles. Most of head
styles were carved by very highly skilled specialists. The average diameter of the log coffins is
about 0.5 m and the length is about 5.0-8.0 m. It is important to note that this is the earliest
evidence of wood carving found in Thailand.
3. Rock Paintings. A total of 32 pictures are documented at Ban Rai rockshelter. The
pictographs on the rockshelter wall were painted with red ochre and are located approximately
3.5-4.5 meters above the floor. The images include human and animal figures as well as
nonfigures.
Impact of globalization in Highland Pang Mapha. Recently, like other areas in the world,
globalization, especially tourism has strongly impacted Thailand’s economy. Consequently, the
local government has a policy to promote the natural and archaeological resources in this area for
tourism. Hence, this mountainous area has been increasingly popular for eco-tourism and
adventure tourism among Thai and foreigner visitor, especially, cave/rock climbing and
archaeological sites discovered by the Highland Archaeology project. However, the development
of tourism in Pang Mapha has created a number of problems as most of archaeological sites are
burial sites, lithic workshop sites, rock painting sites and ruins, which are “nobody’s heritage”.
Some tribal groups (e.g., black Lahu from Jabo village) believe that the sites, especially burial
10
sites and log coffin sites, are the places of tribal spirits. In the past couple of years, some
communities have not allowed archaeologists to work in sites found in their villages because they
are afraid that someone in the villages will die; however, this attitude has been rapidly changed
by the tourism industry.
However, as the past can serve the present and the future, it is a role of archaeologists to
participate in empowering community involvement by using archaeological heritage
management. It is our responsibility to continue our efforts on heritage management as the Fine
Arts Department, a government agency, has neither a protection plan not a plan to carry out a
public education campaign in this region.
Archaeological heritage management: Preserving the past for the present and future. As
mentioned above, the results of the excavations at the Ban Rai and Tham Lod rockshelters are an
important knowledge base for local communities to use in managing their cultural resources. For
example, the archaeological sites can be used as learning centers for school children or as tourist
attractions. In addition, archaeologists have a responsibility to support efforts aimed at public
education and outreach. Both sites have been managed as open-air site museums by the project.
The aims of management are to protect and preserve the archaeological sites and to develop areas
to enable local communities, the general public, students, and scholars to learn to appreciate the
rich heritage of highland Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son province, northwestern Thailand.
We have worked closely with the communities in order to develop the site museums and
guide training of both children and adults. We have involved local communities in the aspects of
collecting information, and designing their own management plans. The project constitutes three
stages:
Stage I: The Communities Involvement Processes. This involved three simultaneous
steps including village meetings, interview, and recruitment during the first nine months
(September 2006 to April 2007). In order to link the past with the present, I decided to conduct
an interview of the local people about their cultural heritage (other than archaeological heritage)
and history. I think it is an important component of the heritage management process. The
interview focused on their history based on oral history, their perceptions of the cultural (e.g.,
folklore, belief, tribal medicine) and natural heritages, their response to archaeological
discoveries in their villages, and how to protect and manage the sites. It is important to note that
the local history has been included in the exhibition content so they feel that their stories are a
part of the history of the area.
Village Meeting: This is a very important step toward our working process. First, we
met with the Tham Lod and Ban Rai communities at the monthly meetings and brainstormed with
them on their opinions and plans concerning site management. We discussed with the
communities in order to acquire feedback from them concerning the preservation process, and
exhibitions as well as the development of potential sites for tourism. This process encouraged the
local communities to take possession of the Ban Rai and Tham Lod rockshelter sites and protect
them by themselves in the future.
Interview: We interviewed people based on age, sex, education, and occupation. A total
of 34 people (15 females, 19 males), most of them Shan (Tai Yai) from Tham Lod village, were
interviewed. A total of 26 people, 16 Shan (six Muang (from Chiang Mai or Lumpun provinces)
(two females and four males), one Karen, two Lisu (one male and one female) and one M’ong
(male) from Ban Rai village were interviewed. We conducted an in-depth interview in order to
establish the local history and cultural chronology based on their memories and experiences on
various topics including people, kinships, places, history, tradition, belief, archaeological sites,
folk medicine, folklore, local wisdom, economic, agriculture, ecology, environment, politics,
food, craft, dresses, house style, etc.
Recruitment: After meeting and interviewing local people from both villages we
identified the interested groups and then we recruited children, teachers, and adults to work
11
together with us. These groups joined our workshops regularly. Then we selected the potential
“good hosts” as the representative guides for each village.
Stage II: The Technical Processes. This involved three steps including landscape design,
exhibition design, model and animation, and conservation.
Landscape design: The landscapes of Tham Lod and Ban Rai rockshelters have been
designed by Mr Karn Kamkheaw, Mr Chulaporn Nantapanich and Mr Stapana Kittikul. The
fence, trail, rest area, and board-walk to Ban Rai were designed by Ms Karuna Raksawin from the
Faculty of Architecture, Chiang Mai University.
Exhibition design: The exhibitions at both sites were designed by Suporn Shoocongdej, a
designer. The exhibition frames were designed by Mr Karn Kamkheaw, Mr Chulaporn
Nantapanich and Mr Stapana Kittikul. We used mostly bamboo, as it was locally available for the
construction of the exhibition.
Model and animation: The model and an animation of Ban Rai rockshelter were made by
the architecture student from Faculty of Architecture, Chiang Mai University, under the
supervision of Ms Karuna Raksawin.
Conservation: The conservation of the wooden coffin at the Ban Rai rockshelter was
conducted by Assoc. Prof. Songkrot Jarusombat from the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart
University. The basic conservation of artifacts and the excavated units were conducted by the
project team including cataloging, storing, and cleaning processes at the Tham Lod Wildlife
Conservation Development and Extension Station.
Stage III: Public Education Campaign. This involved many activities including
publications, talks, children and adult guide trainings, and archaeology in arts for children. In
particular, we have created the local expertise (e.g., children, adults, and school teachers) in
archaeological heritage management. We put our effort into a cultural heritage campaign, and
public education for the Thai people and tribal communities on the importance of archaeology in
the highland area which is not a main stream type of archaeology and quite different from the
archaeology of the lowland areas in other parts of Thailand. We have empowered the local
communities on the heritage management concept and sustainable tourism before commercial
tourism gets into this area. The public campaign primarily focused on the preservation and
conservation of local cultural and archaeological heritages.
Talks: I gave an interview on the project for the Silpakorn Public Affair Department on October
27, 2006 and helped edited a press release for the Thailand Research Fund. Public talk entitled,
“Prehistory in the Midst of the Thai-Myanmar Border”, 8 May 2007 at the Alliance Française,
Chiang Mai. Talk on “Representation of the Prehistoric Past in Highland Pang Mapha, Mae
Hong Son, Northwestern Thailand” at International Seminar on Sharing our Archaeological
Heritage, 11-15 November 2007. Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Lecture entitled, “Research
Methodology in Archaeology: A Case from Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son” for a PhD program in
Life Time Learning, Faculty of Education, Silpakorn University, 19 December 2007. I gave a
radio interview for the Radio of Thailand, Mae Hong Son Branch on “Archaeological Heritage
Management at Tham Lod and Ban Rai Rockshelters”, 13 February 2008, Muang District, Mae
Hong Son.
Guidebook. We published educational material in form of a guide book for the general public,
entitled, Guidebook for Ban Rai and Tham Lod Rockshelters (2008).
Trainings. We designed different trainings for children, adults, and local school teachers which
involved a series of visits to the sites. Our project team and villagers have also established the
Ban Rai Local Museum at the village meeting hall as an information center for the village and
Ban Rai rockshelter site. This museum shows daily life tools, crafts, local products, and
exhibitions.
12
Six trainings were carried out in 2007 as follows: 1. Children’s training on “Tham Lod:
Children and their awareness of the past” at Tham Lod village. It took place between 2-3 April,
2007 at the village center. 2. Teachers’ training on “Curriculum Development on Local
Heritages in Ban Rai and Tham Lod villages” involved teachers from Tham Lod elementary
school in Tham Lod village and Pang Mapha Center school from Ban Rai village. It took place
between 20-21 September 2007 at Pang Mapha district hall. 3. Forestry officers’ training on
“Archaeology in Tham Lod Station.” It was held on 24 October, 2007 at Tham Lod Wildlife
Conservation Development and Extension Station. 4. Community training on “Being a good
host at Tham Lod village.” It was held between 28-29 October 2007 at Tham Lod Wildlife
Conservation Development and Extension Station. 5. Community training on “Being a good
host at Ban Rai village.” It took place between 17-18 November 2007 at The Ban Rai village
center. 6. Children’s training on “Children’s guide for archaeological and cultural tourism at
Ban Rai village.” It was held between 24-27 December 2007 at The Ban Rai village center.
Art Activities. Four children’s art activities were conducted between 2006-7, and an American
artist joined the project in 2006.
I have also collaborated in my work with Ms Valentina DuBasky, an American artist who
works with us on Archaeology in Arts and carried out a children art workshop at the Ban Rai
rockshelter in the early phase. Valentina visited the Tham Lod and Ban Rai rockshelters between
6-27 November 2006 and conducted her pilot project on “Ancient Botanicals: Flora, Fauna, and
Forest Archaeology”. Her artworks are paintings based on her inspiration from the sites.
The activities aim to empower the tribal children who don’t have an equal access to art
education and formal education system like children in the city. The activities focused on
sharing, learning about their heritages, and increasing their ability to express themselves both
verbally and creativity. The children ranged in age from 8-15 years old. Children from Tham
Lod village are mostly Shan whereas at Ban Rai there is more diversity including Lisu, Karen,
Shan, and M’ong. This project has increased the children’s confidence to speak out through art
activities: The First Children Art Workshop at Ban Rai village; The Second Children Art
Workshop at Tham Lod village; The Third Children Art Workshop at Ban Rai village.
Opening ceremonies. The first opening ceremony was held at Tham Lod and Ban Rai
rockshelters on Friday 15 February 2008. The second opening ceremony was held at the National
Art Gallery, Bangkok on Friday 13 June 2008.
Accomplishments. Local communities: 1. Archaeological heritage management and public
education helped to strengthen community development and sustainable tourism in both villages.
As the interest and desire of local communities are rarely priorities in government policy plans,
therefore, the success of the project is a role model for archaeology heritage management in other
areas which are ethnically and culturally diverse. 2. The public education activities promoted an
understanding and genuine appreciation of archaeological, local cultural, and natural heritages of
Ban Rai and Tham Lod villages in highland Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son province. 3. The
project successfully implemented income generating activities through archaeological and
cultural tourism and a home-stay in Ban Rai village, whereas at Tham Lod village which was
already a tourism area, the Tham Lod rockshelter is used as a learning center for school children
and the general public. 4. The project emphasised communication and collaboration with the
local communities. We developed a two-way process of communication by sharing our
experiences. Our team learned a considerable amount from the local cultures and wisdoms from
local communities. This two-way communication enabled us to interpret and present the Tham
Lod and Ban Rai’s heritages in a fruitful collaborative way, and this content shows in the
exhibitions.
Academic communities: 1. Through the public campaign, the project has made an impact
on a much broader scale, not only regional, but at the international levels through my talks at
13
international seminars. 2. Working on archaeological heritage management in a place that is
multi-cultural and multi-ethnic like highland Pang Mapha makes us, as archeologists, change our
research strategies and practices. 3. This is an integrated project which has brought experts from
various fields (e.g., archaeologists, anthropologists, artists, educators, architects, scientists,
museologists) to help preserve the “archaeological heritages” of humankind. Indeed, the project
stimulates dialogues between experts. 4. Working closely with local and academic communities
on the heritage management at Ban Rai and Tham Lod rockshelter sites, helps to prove that
archaeology is not only a science of the past, but also a discipline which cuts across all spatial and
temporal boundaries.
Acknowledgements. This project was made possible by the support of a number of grants, and
the collaboration and assistance of many institutions and people. Financial support for
Archaeological heritage management at Ban Rai and Tham Lod rockshelters will be supported by
the US Ambassador’s Funds for Cultural Preservation 2006. Funding for research at the Ban Rai
and Tham Lod rockshethers by Highland Archaeology Project in Pang Mapha (HAAP) was
provided by Thailand Research Funds (TRF) during 1998-2006. A debt of gratitude is owed to
the local people at Ban Rai and Tham Lod villages. My special thanks go to Mr Raph Boyce, the
US Ambassador (during the grant was given), Mr Kenneth Foster, Dr Anne Cunningham, Ms
Beretice Camp, Ms Anne Caster, and Ms Kanchalee Jitjang from the US Embassy of Thailand for
their supports throughout the project. I am also grateful to a former President, Professor Poot
Veeraprasert, a fomer dean, Professor Phasook Indrawooth and my colleagues at the Department
of Archaeology for their support and encouragement. Finally, my special thanks and appreciation
goes to my wonderful research team without a good teamwork, this project would have never
been accomplished. Please visit our website: www.fdfr.co.nr
RESEARCH NEWS
GRANUCCI FUND RECIPIENTS FOR 2008: Sofwan Noerwidi (Center for Archaeological
Research, Yogyakarta Office) for “Archaeological Research of Kendenglembu Site, East Java”;
and Nuno Oliveira (Secretary of State for Culture, Ministry of Culture, RDTL), on behalf of the
East Timor government, for “Documenting Archaeological Sites in Timor-Leste – A First
Systematic Approach.”
LUCE GRANTS TO INDIVIDUAL RECIPIENTS FOR 2008: Postdoctoral Fellowships
(North America) – Alice Yao (Archaeology, Brown University) for “Genesis of Bronze Polities
in the Lake Dian Basin: An Archaeological Survey of PreHistoric Landscapes and Settlements in
the Lake Dian Basin.” Study and Research Fellowships (East and Southeast Asia) – Ninh Thi
Pham (Researcher, Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology under Vietnamese Academy for Social
Sciences, Vietnam) for “Comparative studies on jar burials of the Sa Huynh Culture, dating from
the early Iron Age of Central Vietnam and the jar burial tradition of Southeast Asia.” Summer
Field School Scholarships – Nattha Chuenwattana (Research Assistant, Exploration and
Sustainable Heritage Management Project, Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, Thailand) for
“Paleoethnobotanical Training at the Berry Site Field School, Morganton, NC with Professor
Gayle J. Fritz from Washington University in St. Louis”; Udomluck Hoontrakul (Researcher,
Ethnoarchaeological Study Project in Pang Mapha District, Sirindhorn Anthropological Center,
Thailand) for “SMU Archaeological Field School, Summer 2008 (Southern Methodist
University)”; Rattanak Leng (Staff, Archaeology/Prehistory, Ministry of Culture, Cambodia) for
“SMU Archaeological Field School, Summer 2008 (Southern Methodist University).”
Translation Grants – Liam C. Kelley (Associate Professor, Southeast Asian History, University
of Hawai’I, Manoa) for “Vietnam's Early History: A Translation of the ‘Outer Annals’ of Two
14
Vietnamese Chronicles”; Rachanie Thosarat (Adjunct Lecturer and Research Associate,
Archaeology, University of Otago, New Zealand) for “To translate into Thai the following
volume: The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor Volume Two. The Excavation of Noen ULuke nd Non Muang Kao.”
LUCE COLLABORATIVE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS FOR 2008: University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for
Strengthening the Future of Southeast Asian Archaeology: Investigating the Prehistoric
Settlement of the Mekong Middle Basin. (A four-year grant of $300,000). Joyce White is director
of the program. The institutional partners of the new research program are the Penn Museum, the
University of Washington, the Department of Museums and Archaeology in Laos, and Sirindhorn
Anthropology Centre in Thailand.
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION from Wesley Clarke, Masters degree student, Southeast
Asia Studies Program, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (wc124504@ohio.edu):
I am in the initial stages of a reevaluation of archaeological materials and features
recovered by George Coedes (1927) and H. G. Quaritch Wales (1935) at the “Dvaravati” site of
P’ong Tuk. P’ong Tuk (also Phong Tuk, Phong Tuek, et. al.) is located in Kanchanaburi
Province, west-central Thailand, and produced significant ritual objects, including Buddha
images in early styles and a variety of materials, and architectural features. In the era of initial
investigation by Coedes and Quaritch Wales, P’ong Tuk was considered to be among the oldest
and most significant bodies of information relating to Dvaravati culture, and the site and certain
key objects have been continually referenced in the scholarly and popular literature. The
published reports by Coedes and Quaritch Wales, however, are judged to provide only a
“preliminary” level of description and analysis; neither have the results of the two investigations
been merged into a unified site description. One goal of my research is to augment the published
information with any unpublished records (field notes, maps, photographs) that can be located. I
will therefore appreciate receiving any information on the whereabouts of archival material
relating to the work of Coedes and Quaritch Wales at P’ong Tuk.
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION from Luong Ninh, National University of Hanoi
(ninhluong@hn.Vnn.Vn) regarding several issues/questions about Sukhothaya (see this section in
Luong Ninh’s edited book, A History of South-East Asia, Publishing House Education, Hanoi,
2005): 1) From the VIII century, after the Funan kingdom to XI century, the middle and low
area of Me Nam/Chao Phraya was a “free area”; the Mon people continued to live there very
thinly (most followed queen Chamdevi who founded the kingdom Haripunjaya in the north). The
Thais came here only after 1260 AD(?). In an earlier time, we know there was an inscription in
Lop Buri written in Sanskrit and Khmer mentioning a name of a state or capital: Chanasapura
that the calling is strange to the Khmer tradition and the name of five kings but completely
strange to the Khmer genealogy. Perhaps, Khmer cultural influence existed, but not direct
control, by the date of inscription 937 AD. After, the Khmer rulers might have subjugated the
middle area of Me Nam-Sukhothay only under the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I (10021050), Suryavarman II (1113-1150) and Jayavarman VII (1181-1200), but in this territory lived
very thinly a number of Mon people, for a very longtime, one to two centuries before the coming
of the Thais. Sukhothay existed in 1260-1350, so how could they, in one century, build their great
capital with ramparts and more than ten imposing monuments? The direct Khmer influence
ended after 60 years (1200-1260); how did this influence act upon Sukhothay and in what time?
There was an idea that in his culminated development, Jayavarman VII, the Khmer King built
Bayon, a post stage at Sachanalai and other Buddhist edifices. However, in Sukhothay, there were
temples resembling stupa at Sanchi, Borobudur or Angkor Wat but not Bayon. What was the
reason that the Khmers built monuments for themselves on the territory of strangers, of
15
foreigners? 2) Not only the city Sukhothay, city of Dharma, the capital of the King, but there
were Si Satchanalai, the city of the Vice King, about 100 km in the north, and Phitsanulok, city
of Phra Buddha Chinarat also 100 km in the east. What is the meaning of Chinarat? Of this twin
city? There was even Kampheng Phet, called Outpost, 100 km to the south of Sukhothay on the
side of the river Wang. Why outpost? Outpost of whom? Against whom? 3) What were the
political and cultural relations between Sukhothay and other countries; with Cambodia? With
China? Chinarat?
OTHER NEWS: COMMENTS ON PREAH VIHEAR
The Temple of Preah Vihear (Reprinted from Perspective, Bangkok Post, June 29, 2008; on-line
at: www.bangkokpost.com/290608_Perspective/29Jun2008_pers003.php)
“To date, Unesco's 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage protects 851 properties of outstanding universal value, including 660 cultural, 166
natural and 25 mixed properties in 141 State Parties.
The sacred sanctuary of Preah Vihear Temple, built for the Hindu god Shiva in the first
half of the 11th Century AD during the reign of King Su ryavarman, is on the list for
consideration for new sites by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) during their annual meeting
in July in the Canadian city of Quebec.
The property is situated on a promontory of the Dangrek Range, 547m above the
Cambodian Plain, known as Phnom Preah Vihear (Sacred Hermitage Mountain ), on the modern
border with Thailand.
The Temple of Preah Vihear is a unique architectural ensemble made up of a series of
sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases on an axis 800m long.
This ensemble testifies to the Khmer genius for domesticating vast territories and
adapting to the landscape. The property offers the visitor a magnificent landscape embracing
nearly 360 of the plain below, a landscape opening out in front of the hermits' grottoes in the
cliffs.
Like many Cambodian monuments, this sanctuary consists of a succession of courtyards
on a common axis (though the north-south axis here is somewhat unusual).
The only access at present is by means of a steep, recently constructed track through the
forest from a village, which houses soldiers and their families, as well as some Buddhist monks
living at a pagoda, which also serves as a school.
From here two paths lead to the temple, one passing through a village (Pjum Prasat)
comprised of Cambodians wholly dedicated to shops and other facilities for visitors. Some 550
people live here. The presence of this Cambodian community has been protested by the Thai
government on the grounds that it sits inside Thai territory.
The other path comes through Thailand's Si Sa Ket province by means of a monumental
stairway with 159 steps, leading to a 25m long pavement flanked by enormous rampant na gas
(snakes).
The sanctuary is enclosed by two groups of galleries laid out in cloister form,
foreshadowing the cruciform cloisters of Angkor Wat. The central enclosure is accessible only
by the three passages coming from Gopura No.1 and two small openings to east and west. The
southern side is closed by Gopura No. 1 and the northern side by a structure which is in effect a
false gate. Instead of opening out on the vast spaces of the Cambodian plain, it presents a blank
face. The layout thus presents an increasingly closed aspect, until at the end all that is visible is
the sky.”
16
Preserve the Integrity of Preah Vihear by Achara Ashayagachat (Reprinted from Perspective,
Bangkok Post, June 29, 2008; available on-line at:
www.bangkokpost.com/290608_Perspective/29Jun2008_pers001.php)
“The Preah Vihear debate should now go beyond nationalistic furore – which may have been
founded by the politicisation of the issue by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and later
on by members of parliament, who are charging something just short of treason was committed in
allowing the unchallenged loss of sovereignty over some 4.6 square kilometres of land to
Cambodia.
The debate should also move past the question of whether Thailand should defy the
earlier International Court of Justice verdict which awarded that small parcel of land to
Cambodia. This is a time for reason. Blind nationalism has already undermined the small
amount of good will that existed in Thai-Cambodian relations. It would not do to instill hatred or
damage the already difficult matter of border delineation.
Certainly no one wants a repeat of the rioting which resulted in the Thai Embassy and
Thai businesses being torched and looted in this neighbouring land in 2003.
Now is the time for pragmatic actions. The opposition must come up with strong
evidence of any alleged fishy deals the administration of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, and
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama in particular, have made in exchange for the swift Thai
support of Cambodia's application to host a Preah Vihear World Heritage Site.
More importantly, the time is also short for any last-ditch attempt to call international
attention to the issue.
To compensate for the loss of national image in the international arena and to catch up in
the race against time, the Samak government and the Thai representatives to the World Heritage
Committee need to douse the fire inside the house and transform this crisis into opportunity.
U-TURN ON PREAH VIHEAR
The domestic debate on the issue is a strong basis for the civil servants and politicians to
make a U-turn, defy the validity of the joint communique hurriedly signed by the Thai and
Cambodian ministers last month and reaffirm Thailand's former stance that a joint listing of the
ancient ruins with Cambodia is in order. That is a baseline for many academics, including those
from Thammasat University's Thai Khadi Studies Institute and the National Institute for
Development Administration's (NIDA) Faculty of Social and Environmental Development, as
well independent historians, international law experts and some senators.
They have also called for a challenge to the merit and integrity of the Unesco World
Heritage Committee (WHC) if a judgement is handed down in Quebec during the 2-10 July
meeting in favour of the sole listing of Cambodia.
Yet, these advocates know things will not easily turn out in favour of the Thai critics.
Thammasat University law associate professor Prasit Pivavatnapanich noted that the
constitutionality of the joint communique' has yet to be considered by the Constitutional Court.
The court is to determine if it is in violation of Article 190, which stipulates that any contract the
executive branch agrees to that profoundly affects social and economic benefits to Thailand, as
well as its territorial sovereignty, shall be subject to parliamentary scrutiny before the signing.
Even if the Constitutional Court judged that the joint communique …is equivalent to an
agreement or a treaty as it would affect the integrity of the Thai boundary, the national, internal
verdict could not nullify the 1962 verdict by the International Court of Justice in Geneva which
upheld the validity of a map showing the ancient temple complex on Cambodian soil, said Mr
Prasit.
Territories in question should be dealt with at another forum, he continued, and Thailand
should challenge (at that venue) the accuracy of the 11 maps drawn by the French which were
used at the International Court hearing. The demarcation should be based on the physical features
17
of the land; in particular, the borderline should be drawn around the watershed and not cut
through it.
A senior military map marker who shall remain unnamed said it was all partly Thailand's
fault.
‘We should have argued the accuracy and validity of the maps ages ago, but we have
done nothing,’ said the uniformed officer.
In a sad metaphor, the soldier said the 1962 decision was the first chapter of the Preah
Vihear dispute, and 2008 was the second chapter, but not likely the end. He predicted neither
side would be able to overcome deep-rooted mistrust and dig out a real strategy for dealing with
the blurry borderline.
Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Virasak Futrakul said even if the temple was
endorsed as a World Heritage Site this year it would not result in Thailand's losing any territory at
all. He added that the demarcation on the disputed areas of Preah Vihear should take less than a
decade to settle.
This was not convincing to the military mapsman, who remarked that without a stable
political climate on both sides of the border the boundary demarcation might take another 100
years.
Glossy Report
Cambodia prepared a 47-page glossy document for the World Heritage Committee,
detailing how the Thai government had been providing ‘active support’ to assist in its application
to sponsor the temple on the World Heritage List.
This propaganda material looks very convincing because it chronicles step by step how
the present Thai leaders gave such assistance.
However, since the outbreak of protests in Thailand the Foreign Ministry has told
Cambodia the maps used in the nomination proceedings must not contrast with the map redrawn
in 1963 under the direction of the cabinet of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat. This map showed the
buildings in the Preah Vihear complex under Cambodian sovereignty, but not all of the temple
complex. For example, the pond and the approach are shown as belonging to Thailand.
Cambodia originally included these areas in its application as part of a ‘buffer zone’, but now has
apparently given up trying to exert any control over them.
Little mention of this has been made in the Cambodian media so far. The Voice of
America quoted Sean Pengse, director of the Paris-based Cambodia Border Committee, as saying
that the International Court has decided that the temple and areas surrounding it belonged to
Cambodia, and excluding the surrounding areas would be costly for Cambodia in terms of its
integrity.
Criticism will certainly be surging in the weeks to come, given that the general election in
Cambodia is counting down. Negative nationalism has unfortunately been fanned, of course in
favour of the ruling government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
A ceremony was held at Wat Phnom at which a message was read from King Sihanouk in
support of the International Court's ruling on Preah Vihear at the 46th anniversary of the ruling on
June 15.
There is no doubt strongman Hun Sen would like to see Preah Vihear listed as a World
Heritage site along with his likely triumph in the coming election.
He inaugurated last month a project to build a 118-kilometre road linking provincial
capital T'beng Meanchey with the temple, to be completed within 45 months. The road, partially
funded by the Chinese, would also link the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site in Siem Reap
province through Kampong Thom province. This would mean less dependence on the traditional
entry point to the temple from Si Sa Ket province in Thailand.
18
Meanwhile, an Indian company has unveiled a multimillion-dollar proposal to build an
airport serving Preah Vihear, while a Japanese firm reportedly wants to construct a cable car route
up the steep Cambodian side.
What's more, ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly plans a casino
investment not very far from the future World Heritage Site.
Despite all the moves to capitalise on the heightened tourist appeal of Preah Vihear, Thai
officials are orchestrated in affirming that Cambodia has compromised, which should be
considered a mini-triumph for Thailand.
‘For its part, the Kingdom of Cambodia, in a spirit of goodwill and conciliation, accepted
to inscribe the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List, at this stage, without a buffer
zone on the north and west of the Temple,’ says an official Cambodian document. This implies
that Cambodia has agreed to Thailand's claims to ownership of parts of the complex and access
route.
Sending the Wrong Signal
Many are wondering why the Samak government was so keen to endorse Cambodia's
move on Preah Vihear in the absence of an amicable agreement on the territorial dispute. Why
not push for a joint application? The endorsement is sending a signal that Thailand will never try
to reclaim Preah Vihear.
Former Thai ambassador Sompong Sucharitkul has said this seems a truly unforgivable
diplomatic blunder. He is among the many that feel the integrity and authenticity of the site can
only be maintained through joint listing and joint management.
Pisit Charoenwongs, a renowned Thai scholar and director of the SEMEAO Regional
Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, said at a recent seminar organised by the Senate
Committee on Religion, Ethics, and Culture that Thailand has become a villain in the eyes of the
international community because of the dispute with Cambodia.
He added that Thailand needs to seek global partners, and explain in a straightforward
and clear manner that opponents of Cambodia's unitary application are behaving reasonably, and
ultimately for the sake of preservation of the Preah Vihear temple.
‘The Thai delegation needs to argue with strong evidence and in a comprehensive and
systematic manner that it would set a bad precedent if only the temple and not the functional
vicinity of the whole property is listed,’ said the senior Southeast Asian arts expert.
The ball will therefore lie in the court of WHC members Australia, Bahrain, Barbados,
Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia and the US, whose membership in the WHC will
voluntarily end by the end of next year.
Sawitree Sunwansathit, a former senior Education Ministry official and adviser to the
Culture Ministry, had a sour note for the Thai public. She said many of the members have
successfully lobbied to throw their support for Cambodia, and that no matter how well or
vehemently argued, the Thai points may have little weight in the committee's consideration.
Ms Sawitree also said application for a parallel listing for Thailand at the Quebec meeting
will not also be possible. As the name implies, this would be somewhat less cooperative than a
joint listing.
Tharapong Srisuchat, head of the Fine Arts Department's Archaeological Bureau, said it
might take some 3-5 years before Thailand could come up with its own proposal.
Mr Pisit, however, believed the World Heritage Committee is required to understand that
the wholeness of the sacred temple needs to be preserved when considering the merit of
Cambodia's application – particularly to little details such as how small or large the buffer zone
for the site would be.
If the buffer zone is too large, it will penetrate into Thailand, and if the space is not
adequately allotted, it will cause an eyesore, as in Ayudhaya. So, said the scholar, Thailand is
19
justified and deserving of sympathy in a request that the government have more time to study the
more appropriate joint listing and joint management of the site.
Ms Sawitree added that visitors would be treated to a more graceful and sacred
atmosphere with an entrance from Thailand, as opposed to the casino-dotted landscape on the
Cambodian side.
She said it should be explained to the committee that it is important to understand the real
function of this temple, which in ancient times was serving the indigenous community on the
eastern side (now Thailand) and not on the west, as is distortedly reported in Cambodian
documents.
Pongpol Adireksarn, newly-appointed head of the Thai delegation to the WHC, believes a
joint listing is the best option, but Thailand might also seek a parallel listing, as is the case of the
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park which straddles the US-Canadian border.
But the case of Zimbabwe and Zambia on the joint management of the Victoria Falls,
which was listed a World Heritage Site in 1989, might be a hard lesson. The two nations did not
sign a joint management plan until 2007.
Indonesia and Malaysia filed separately for nomination of Borneo as a World Heritage
Site in February and June 2004, respectively. The Committee has yet to endorse their
applications.
The academics believe that now Thailand should work on the document already
submitted by the Fine Arts Department to Unesco recommending certain areas and stupas be
listed along with the Preah Vihear temple to complete the cultural landscape.
The important places on the Thai side include linga sculpture that represent a site to pay
homage prior to entering the higher and more sacred ground, as well as Sa Trao swamp, which
had an irrigation function for the indigenous community, as well as the Pha Mo E-Daeng
archeological site in the northeastern part of the temple complex.
Traces of indigenous and ancient communities rich in Thai, Lao and Khmer culture
straddling the temple complex should also be considered in order to preserve the authenticity and
integrity of the site.”
Cambodians keeping it cool by Prasit Saengrungruang (Reprinted from Persepectives,
Bangkok Post, June 29, 2008).
“Despite concerns about a political backlash similar to the ransacking of the Thai Embassy in
2003, the Cambodian public and media are reacting calmly to the raging controversy over Preah
Vihear temple here in Thailand.
‘Cambodia has the right to seek a World Heritage status for Preah Vihear temple, and
Thai people also have the right to protest against it,’ said Mr Sou Chamroeun, deputy director of
Bayon television station in Phnom Penh.
‘The Cambodian government and its people understand the issues raised by Thai
politicians and they believe bilateral relations will not be harmed,’ Mr Sou said in a telephone
interview with Perspective last Thursday.
The interview was conducted at the same time as the no-confidence debate in the Thai
parliament, where the opposition Democrat party accused Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama of
acting beyond his authority by signing a joint communique with Cambodia to have the ancient
temple listed as a World Heritage site.
‘The World Court has ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia and everyone must
respect its ruling,’ said Mr Sou, who is also a deputy chairman of the Cambodian Writers
Association.
He dismissed fears about adverse reactions against the Thai people and businessmen
living in Cambodia. ‘It is unlikely that there will be a repeat of the 2003 events,’ he said.
20
In January 2003, a Cambodian newspaper article falsely alleged that a Thai actress
claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand. Other Cambodian print and radio media picked
up the report and furthered the nationalistic sentiment which resulted in riots in Phnom Penh on
January 29. The Thai Embassy was burned and properties of Thai businesses were vandalised.
Mr Sou's views are shared by Mr Khieu Kanharith, the minister of information of
Cambodia, who said any problems concerning the temple's boundaries should be settled by the
joint Thai-Cambodian committee, which holds regular meetings.
In his opinion, both Thailand and Cambodia will benefit from tourism and related
businesses if Preah Vihear temple is listed as a World Heritage Site. In fact, he noted, Thailand
would gain more than Cambodia because most of the tourists would have to pass through
Thailand in order to visit the ancient temple.
During the censure debate, the Democrats insisted the Thai government's support for
Cambodia's unilateral listing of Preah Vihear would remove Thailand's right to have ownership of
the temple reviewed. Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Cambodian map that
Foreign Minister Noppadon had acknowledged could put Thailand at a disadvantage in talks to
settle the borderline with Cambodia.
The Thai media have demanded to know why a number of Cambodians have moved into
a disputed area near the temple. If these Cambodians stay there permanently, it might cause
Thailand to lose part of the area in dispute.
On this issue, Mr Hourt Song Hak, a reporter for the Cambodian daily Koh Santipap,
agreed that the Cambodian settlers must be moved out of the area. Other than that, it is the
Cambodian government's right to seek the listing of Preah Vihear, which belongs to Cambodia, as
a World Heritage Site, he told Perspective.
Interestingly, the Cambodian reactions to the controversy are typically in stark contrast to
the nationalistic mood of Thai politicians, media and academics.
Thai historian Thepmontri Limpaphayom has suggested that if the Cambodian request is
put on the agenda of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec early next month, Thailand's
World Heritage Committee should resign to pressure other member states of the World Heritage
Committee to postpone considering the issue.
Meanwhile, Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niampradit said the Royal Thai Air
Force had already put its transport planes on standby in case it was necessary to evacuate Thais
from Cambodia if the issue gets out of hand.
During the height of violence in Phnom Penh on Jan 29, 2003 – when rioters attacked the
Thai Embassy and the premises of Thai-owned businesses, including Shin Corp, then owned by
the family of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – the Thai government sent military
aircraft to Phnom Penh to evacuate Thai nationals, while angry Thai protesters demonstrated
outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attributed the government's failure to prevent the
attacks to incompetence, and noted that the riots were stirred up by extremists. The then
chairman of the National Assembly, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, claimed that opposition leader
Sam Rainsy had directed the attacks. Rainsy, instead, said he had tried to prevent the violence.”
Preah Vihear can be 'time bomb' by Thongchai Winichakul (Reprinted from a special to The
Nation; published June 30, 2008).
“Using the temple to fan nationalism can lead to much bigger tragedy. The nature of modern
boundaries between Thailand and its neighbours is like a time bomb. All boundaries today bear
the legacies of old world politics that did not much care if a demarcation by a sharp line, or the
unambiguous territorial sovereignty, carried repercussions.
With little exception, claims to exclusive ‘ownership’ rights of borderlands longer than
the past 100 to 130 years are probably false and historically impossible to support.
21
Given the explosive foundation of the modern boundary, maps, treaties and courts have
provided settlements of such areas.They are the ground rules used by modern nations to co-exist.
For the boundary around Preah Vihear, the International Court of Justice in 1962
provided a settlement without which military might and heavy loss of lives would have been the
only other option.
We should respect the settlement provided by the court since Thailand has no better
justifiable claim than Cambodia.
Despite that, the talks about ‘losing territory’ have been com-mon among thoughtless
nationalists in the region.
Lao nationalists talk about losing the Isaan region to Thailand. Cambodian ones talk
about losing territories to Thailand and Vietnam.
They produce maps of lost territories like Thai nationalists did for generations.
Thais have been taught their territories were lost as well. Every country lost territories.
The idea of loss is a powerful tool used to whip up nationalism, especially in domestic politics.
The dark side of nationalism is dangerous as ever. It has now become a weapon in
today's Thai politics.
Nationalism is like fire and it can be destructive. Another kind of ‘fire’, according to
Buddhism, generates greed, hatred and delusion.
Thai nationalism is based on a few ideological premises that are powerful in creating
hatred and delusion but historically dubious. Yet many people believe them wholeheartedly.
One of the false premises for fanning hatred and creating delusion is the perception of
lost territories. It is necessary to promote false memory for Thai nationalism to survive and for
Thai historical ideology to flourish.
Without it, local nationalism could crumble. Such false memories have to be fed to the
masses repeatedly until people believe them to be true.
The Preah Vihear World Heritage case has gone beyond technicalities. It is abused to
arouse delusion that the temple belongs to Thailand and a desire to revive the claim.
The purpose is to generate hatred in Thai politics. Nationalism is dangerous, especially a
foolish one like this.
The PAD and their media supporters are doing the same thing they despised when
Cambodian nationalists drummed hysteria against Thailand a few years ago.
They are irresponsibly playing with fire. If they want to fight for all disputable cases,
there are probably hundreds of them to choose and to send soldiers to die for.
Do we remember the Thai-Lao dispute in 1988 for Hill 1428, a no man's land known only
by its number on a military map, which resulted in the loss of thousands of Thai soldiers?
The incident was also a tragic consequence of foolish nationalism.
It is sad that media, with little professionalism, and the PAD carelessly jump to whatever
they want to use, including an unqualified argument by a historian who claims to be an expert on
the boundary issue.
But he has never produced research on the subject.
Academic and media professionalism had been breached for political gains and carries
the possibility of grave consequences.”
UPCOMING CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS
ANCIENT
KHMER
AND
SOUTHEAST
ASIAN
CERAMICS:
NEW
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS, PRODUCTION AND THE REVIVAL OF
TECHNIQUES CONFERENCE will be held at the Center for Khmer Studies, Siem Reap (Wat
Damnak) from 10 to 12 December 2008. This conference will bring together Cambodian and
international scholars who specialize in ancient Khmer ceramics, with craftsmen and
22
contemporary potters working in the revival of ancient production techniques. The objective is to
raise awareness of the archaeological importance of ancient Khmer ceramics and the new
opportunities for sustainable economic development in the region through ceramic technology.
The conference will cover the following themes: Economics of ceramics in ancient Khmer
Empire; Conservation of ancient Khmer Ceramics; Ancient and contemporary Khmer kiln sites;
Revitalization of ceramic production in Cambodia; and Contemporary ceramic production and
slowing the illicit trade of antiquities. Please submit titles and short abstracts (300 words
maximum) and contact details to conference@khmerstudies.org by October 15, 2008. For further
details see: www.khmerstudies.org/index.htm
BUDDHISM ACROSS ASIA: NETWORKS OF MATERIAL, INTELLECTUAL AND
CULTURAL EXCHANGE, will be hosted by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies,
Singapore from 16 to 18 February 2009. Proposals are invited for papers based on original
research and using primary sources on any of the following themes:
1. Education and centers of learning (such as, but not limited to, Taxila, Nalanda, Vallabhi,
Mathura, Bairam-Ali, Srivijaya, Dunhuang, Chang'an, Hangzhou, etc.); 2. The transmission and
translation of ideas and texts; 3. Buddhism and local cultures: assimilation, conflict and
absorption; 4. Buddhism, statecraft, and material culture; 5. Excavating Buddhism: the role of
archeology in understanding the history of Buddhism; 6. Buddhist rituals and ceremonies across
cultures; 7. Cross-currents in Buddhist art and architecture; 8. Anthropologies of Buddhism in
Asia; 9. Contemporary Buddhism and Buddhist Institutions in Asia.
Paper proposals will be evaluated on the basis of research excellence and conformity to
the preceding conference themes. The Proposal Submission Form is available at
http://www.iseas.edu.sg/baacproposal.doc. Submission of Proposal: 1 July 2008. Announcement
of accepted proposals: September 1, 2008. Submission of Conference papers: December 1, 2008.
THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ASSOCIATION
FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND RELIGION with the main theme Waters in South
and Southeast Asia: Interaction of Culture and Religion. Papers are also solicited from any
field of the study of culture and religion relating to South and Southeast Asia. This international
conference is co-sponsored as a Regional Conference by the parent body, the International
Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), Member of CIPSH, an affiliate organisation of
the UNESCO. The Conference will be held at Denpasar from 3 to 6 June 2009 in collaboration
with Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) and Universitas Hindu Indonesia (UNHI), Denpasar, Bali,
Indonesia. For further information: www.sseasr.org; or email: thirdSSEASR@hotmail.com or
secretariat@sseasr.org
INDO-PACIFIC PREHISTORY ASSOCIATIONS’S 19TH CONGRESS will be held with the
Vietnam Institute of Archaeology in Hanoi in December 2009. The venue will probably be the
Academy of Social Sciences, a large complex in Pho Lieu Giai, Hanoi. For further details, see:
http://arts.anu.edu.au/arcworld/ippa/ippa.htm
RECENT CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS
HUMAN ORIGINS PATRIMONY STUDIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA CONFERENCE was
held in Paris, 10-12 December 2007. It was organized by the board of the HOPsea network.
Conference abstract: A large part of humankind finds its roots in Southeast Asian world-widely
famous human origins heritage. Beyond national and bilateral current programmes, a EuropeanAsian project has built a first expert network able to overstep the threshold between research and
valorization of the patrimony. Its purpose is to enhance skills of teaching-staff, to promote (post-)
23
graduate students’ training, and build a useful expert network addressing all aspects of the
involved cultural and scientific asset. Activities range from student training and field data
collecting up to touristic development, via MSc/PhD co-supervision, collections and data access
facilities, museographic events and expertise about sites protection and development. The extant
network groups three European and two Asian countries, and has drawn several lines towards
other countries as well. At the crossroads of scientific, educational, patrimonial and
developmental concerns, the conference was intended: To present recent scientific studies
achievements; To help the sustainability and the development of the European–Asian network, by
evaluating and disseminating its results and by attracting new partners as well; To reinforce the
role of the academic programs in such a network, by developing an integrated collaboration with
the European Erasmus Mundus consortium ‘Quaternary and Prehistory’, and encourage copromoted Master and PhD thesis; and To develop, on a patrimonial-sharing basis, the cooperation
among European museums of natural history, and between them and Asian museums as well.
(Note: See issue no. 22 of this Newsletter for a summary of presenters and paper titles.)
ARCHAEOLOGY OF VIETNAM–CAMBODIA–LAOS: TOWARD SUSTAINABLE
COOPERATION, an international conference organized by the Vietnam Institute of
Archaeology, was held 11-13 December 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The conference focused on
three main points: to evaluate the development of archaeology in the three countries of
Indochina; to assess archeological achievements in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, from
prehistory to the early historical period; and to assess the possibilities for cooperation in research
and education in the future. The conference gathered researchers from the three countries of
Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), and from other countries who were interested in the
issue.
ANCIENT
KHMER
CERAMICS:
NEW
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
FINDINGS,
PRODUCTION AND THE REVIVAL OF TECHNIQUES, a collaborative conference
between the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS), the National Center for Khmer Ceramics Revival
(NCKCR) and Heritage Watch, was held at Wat Damnak, Siem Reap, Cambodia from 13-15
December
2007.
For
abstracts
and
further
details
see:
www.khmerstudies.org/events/Ancient_Khmer_Ceramics.htm
Presented papers included: “Food for Thought: Cylindrical jars in the Bayon bas-reliefs” by C.
Carlson; “Representations of ceramics on Khmer temples” by A. Cremin; “When Khmer met Chinese
ceramics: Traditions and technological choices of ancient Khmer stoneware” by S. Wong Wai Yee; “New
data on the distribution of Khmer ceramics kilns” by Ea Darith; “Pottery of Sre Ampil Archaeological Site”
by Phon Kaseka; “Some new data on the technique of Khmer stonewares” by A. Desbat; “Khmer ceramic
technology from Thnal Mrech Kiln 02, Phnom Kulen” by Chhay Rachna; “A pilot study of elemental
analysis on Angkorian ceramics” by E. Wong; “Pre-Angkorian earthenware ceramics at Wat Bo, Siem
Reap” by J. Calthorpe; “Pre-Angkorian earthenware ceramics at Wat Bo, Siem Reap: Background
information relating to the collection” by Kesornicole Pen; “Prasat Ban Phluang ceramics re-visited” by R.
Brown; “Circular earthworks’ potsherds” by Chanthourn Thuy; “Memotien pottery and other ceramic
objects” by Heng Sophady; “The reconstruction of Thnarl Mrech kiln” by Serge Rega; “Wood firing for
vitrified ceramics” by J. Mansfield; “A Potter’s Point of View – ‘Evidence of the Hand’” by A.
Lacovetsky; “Changes in Dankwean that brought about ceramic development” by L. Katz and
Suwanee
Natewong; “Antiquities theft and sustainable development” by K. Rominger.
HISTORICAL ECOLOGY AND THE LANDSCAPE APPROACH: CHANGING
PERSPECTIVES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN COMPLEXITY
symposium, co-organized by Chureekamol Onsuwan Eyre and Dougald O’Reilly, was presented
at the Society for American Archaeology 73rd Annual Meeting in March 2008.
Presented papers included: “The Middle Mekong Basin as a Human Landscape in Prehistory:
Insights from New Research” by K. Arrell and J.C. White; “The Potential of Exploratory Regional Survey
24
to Uncover Evidence of Human-Landscape Interaction: An Example from Northern Laos” by O. Given,
J.C. White, and B. Marwick; “Hoabinhian Palaeoeconomics and Palaeoecology at Two Late Pleistocene
and Early Holocene Archaeological Sites in Northwest Thailand” by B. Marwick; “Man Bac, a Late
Neolithic Cemetery and Habitation Site in Northern Viet Nam: Overview and Recent Findings” by D.
Huffer, K.D. Nguyen, M.F. Oxenham, H. Matsumura, and L.C. Nguyen LC; “Discovering Land Use
Variability and Ceramic Subregions: A Regional Approach to Site Survey in Central Thailand” by
C.Onsuwan Eyre; “Moated Sites and Changing Perceptions of Landscape in Iron Age Thailand” by D.
O'Reilly; “Domestication, Moats and Landscapes in Northeast Thailand” by N. Chang; “Land Use and
Settlement through Time in Cambodia’s Mekong Delta” by M. Stark and A. Morrison; “Location,
Location, Location!! Transport, Settlement and Resource Procurement Models in Angkorian Southeast
Asia” by M. Hendrickson; “Quotidian Life of Medieval Khmer” by L. Benbow; “The Development of
Cultural Complexity: Isotopic Characterization of Cambodian Skeletal Material and Environment” by L.
Shewan, N. Beaven-Athfield, and D. O’Reilly.
CHINA IN ASIA WORKSHOP: MARITIME ASIA IN THE EARLY MODERN WORLD
was held 10 May 2008 at the University of Washington. In light of new evidence contained in
recently discovered maps and shipwrecks, this symposium considered the connections of
maritime Asia to world history in the early modern era and Chinas relations with Southeast Asia
in particular. This was the second in a series of annual meetings on China in Asia jointly
sponsored by the UCLA Asia Institute, the UW East Asia Center, and the USC East Asian
Studies Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI program. For
further information, please contact: Prof. William Lavely, lavely@u.washington.edu or Prof. R.
Bin Wong, rbwong@international.ucla.edu
Speakers included: Santanee Phasuk, co-author of Royal Siamese Maps: War and Trade in
Nineteenth Century Thailand; Zhimin Man, author of Historical Climatic Change in China; Sanjay
Subrahmanyam, author of The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama; Roxanna Brown, author of The
Ceramics of Southeast Asia: Their Dating and Identification; John Wills, author of 1688: A Global History;
R. Bin Wong, author of China Transformed: Historical Change and the Limits of European Experience.
FOURTH WORLDWIDE CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIETY FOR EAST ASIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY was held 2-5 June 2008 at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences (IACASS) No. 27 Wangfujing Street, Beijing, P.R China. For further
information, see: www.seaa-web.org/conf-wel.htm
Presented papers on SE Asia included: “Personal Ornaments in Prehistoric Thailand and Their
Wider Context: are ideas or people moving from China into Southeast Asia with the appearance of farming
and again at the beginning of the Southeast Asian Bronze Age” by N. Chang; “Circular Earthwork Sites in
Eastern of the Mekong River” by T. Chanthourn; “Prehistoric Sites and Research in Semporna, Sabah,
Malaysia” by S. Chia; “Architectural materials from Ly Cung, Ho Citadel, Nam Giao sites (Northern
Vietnam)” by S.H. Dang; “Sa Huynh Culture in Southeast and East Asian Context: It’s Distribution,
Chronology and Features (by comparative studies)” by D.T.M. Lam; “The Bi Thuong brick tomb and its
context in Northern Vietnam” by L.T. Le; “The China Factor in Philippine Archaeology” by J.G. Medrana;
“The Archaeology of Death: Significance of the Burials from Babo Balukbuk, Porac on the Pre-Spanish
History of Pampanga, Central Philippines” by R.G. Melend; “Vegetation record at Dong Son
archaeological site, Northern Vietnam’ by H.T.M. Nguyen; “Jade Earring from Sa Huynh culture: typology
– technology and cultural speciality” by K.D. Nguyen; “The 14C dates and the fluctuations of ocean in the
north east region of Vietnam” by Quang Mie Nguyen; “Ash-pits at Go Hoi site (Vinh Phuc province)” by
Thu Anh Nguyen; “Early Chinese Contacts into Dongson Culture in Vietnam” by Van Viet Nguyen;
“Overview of Han artefacts in Southeast Asia with special reference to the recently excavated material
from Khao Sam Kaeo in Southern Thailand” by S. Peronnet; “Dong Cuom - the Jar burials site of Sa
Huynh Culture, dating from the early Iron Age of Central Vietnam” by Ninh Pham Thi; “Recent
Investigation of Burial Practice in North-West Cambodia — Iron Age Cemetery Site of Krasang Thmei
Village” by Sok Keo Sovannara; “The relationship between the big stone shovel culture of GuangXi, China
and those in North Vietnam” by Nang Chung Trinh; “Ceramic Technology Evolution in Southeast Asia
4,000 to 3,000BP” by B. Vincent; “Salt & Salt Pots: A study of premodern salt production in Southeast
25
Asia” by A. Yankowski. [Note: Abstracts for these and papers on East Asian archaeology can be seen at:
http://society-for-east-asian-archaeology.org/arc-con-bei-abs.htm]
SIXTH WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY CONGRESS (WAC-6) was held 29 June to 4 July 2008
at University College Dublin, Ireland. WAC is committed to diversity and to redressing global
inequities in archaeology through conferences, publications and scholarly programs.
It has a special interest in protecting the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples, minorities and
peoples from a range of countries. WAC-6 will continue the established practice of previous
international congresses in facilitating the participation and empowerment of indigenous peoples
and researchers from economically disadvantaged countries. See www.ucd.ie/wac-6 for details.
Presented papers on SE Asia included:
“Shore of Arnhemland: culture contact with maritime communities of Southeast Asia” by D. Guse.
Abstract: Contact between cultures is a defining theme in history and the timing of contact between
Southeast Asians and Europeans with Aboriginal communities in northern Australia is of great historical
and archaeological significance. For example, evidence for this contact between Aboriginal communities
and Australiahas been captured in rock art complexes across Arnhemland. This paper explores the
interrelationships and dynamics of such cultural interactions through these rock art complexes and focuses
on the ways that rock art reflects some Aboriginal perspectives of these events.
“Archaeology and political struggle of Muslim communities in southern Thailand” by R. Shoocongdej.
Abstract: Since 2004, three province in southern Thailand, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, have been placed
under martial law. Historically, the predominantly Muslim communities of these provinces originated from
Malay cultures. They were incorporated by the Kingdom of Thailand during the early twentieth century.
As a part of the process of nation building, Thailand endeavoured to establish a uniform national identity,
and the Muslim communities have been transformed into “Thai Muslims”. Over many decades, organized
armed groups including the Pattani United Liberation Organization and Barisan Revolusi Nasional, have
established themselves in southern Thailand. Their goal is to liberate the Muslim communities in the three
southernmost provinces of Thailand.
“A critical study of a rare Vaisanava in inscription found in Thailand” by C. Prapandvidya. Abstract:
Thailand has been archaeologically exploited for its artistic styles and prehistoric yield. It is surprisingly to
note that the earliest inscriptions found in Buddhist Thailand are affiliated to the doctrines of Saivism. The
present paper, however, highlights a very rare inscription found recently at Khao Noi Sichampu in
Prachinburi (eastern Thailand). Discovered amid the debris and ruins of most probably an ancient Visnu
temple site in brick and stone, Visnu appears to have been greatly revered in ancient Prachinburi. Located
along the ancient trade line from India, the site contributes new information on the cult of Vaisnavism in
early Thailand. This rare inscription in stone dates to around the 7th century and contains 12 lines in
Sanskrit. This paper also deals with the recording of the inscription by the Fine Arts Department, and its
subsequent reading by the official epigraphist Mr Cha-em Keoklai.
“Multifaceted insciptions from Myanmar: new additions and interpreatation’ by MoMo Hunt. Abstract:
As the crossroads between the South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures, Myanmaris rich possesses a rich
epigraphic tradition. Its historical archaeology depends largely upon its collection of inscriptions.
Remarkably, this is the only Asian region providing several epigraphic records inscribed simultaneously in
Burmese, Pali, Pyu, Mon and Sanskrit. In the past few years, several new inscriptions have been
discovered. Numbering more than 40, these newly found multi-lingual inscriptions date from the early 12th
to the early 13th century. Referring to the religious practice and involvement of non-royal individuals, they
help us in acquiring a much clearer knowledge of the Burmese past. The present paper, prepared with great
pain in locating these hitherto unknown inscriptions from several villages, pagoda walls in and around the
ancient city of Bagan, and in private collection, throws new light on the cultural and religious life of
Myanmar.
“New inscriptions on Cham in Vietnam” by Do T. Ha. Abstract: The early history of Vietnam, known
for its Indic inscription in Sanskrit found at Vocanh (2nd century AD), was exposed by the classical
discoveries of the inscriptions in the main shrine of Po Nagar at Nha Trang (786 AD and 817 AD). The
sculpture and architecture of Champa attest economic prosperity. The exchange of ideas, political thoughts
and art waves was immense. The present research paper holds the opinion, which has been reinforced by a
number of new inscriptions, that the entire area of coastal Vietnam was commercially and political active.
The paper brings to light four such epigraphic examples found very recently at Quang Nam Da Nang (1984
26
and 2005), Oc Eo, Cuu Long Delta (2005), and Khanh Hoa (2005), which make us evaluate not only the
culture of Chams but also the early history of modern Vietnam.
“‘Mis’-reading or ‘missed’ reading: A case study of recently found Buddhist inscriptions in Thailand”
by Amarjiva Lochan. Abstract: Thailand has been a rich mine of epigraphy. Despite the significance of
Sanskrit-Pali inscriptions, they have been studied less than the Khmer epigraphy in neighboring Cambodia.
Apart from the 1960s study by George Coedès, new inscription found in Thailand require careful
examination, such as the one found at Phu Khao Thong, a unique Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery of
the second century AD, making it the oldest inscription found so far. Similarity, Muang Bueng Khok
Chaang inscription found in the Uthaithani province, Rushi Khaw Ngu Cave Muang Ratchaburi inscription
and the ‘Pumyagiri’ Mountain inscription fond on a fragment of Dharmacakra are significant. Another
recently discovered inscription is Kuha Mountain Inscription from the far south, Singkhla province. While
highlighting the ‘misread’ or ‘missed’ evaluation of such inscriptions, the paper emphasizes the urgent need
to establish a Corpus of Indic Inscriptions of Thailand based on scientific analysis.
“Terminal Pleistocene to mid Holocene occupation and cremation burial at Ille Cave, Palawan,
Philippines” by H. Lewis, V. Paz, M. Lara, H. Barton, P. Piper, J. Ochoa, T.J. Vitales, J. Carlos, T. Higham
L. Neri, V. Hernandez, K. Stevenson, E. Robles, A. Ragragio, R. Padilla, W. Solheim II and W. Ronquillo.
Abstract: Recent excavations at Ille cave, Palawan, have produced the first well-stratified terminal
Pleistocene to mid Holocene archaeological sequence from the Philippines archipelago linked to a highresolution 14C dated chronology. Stratified late Paleolithic occupation deposits from c. 9,000-11,000 cal.
yr. B.P., and possibly back to c. 14,000 cal. yr. B.P., reveal specialized working of plant materials, craft or
production of organic tools, and the intensive use and recycling of expedient flake technologies. Hunting
reliance changes over time from deer to pig, associated with proposed disappearance of the deer in the midlate Holocene. A human cremation burial directly dated to c. 9,000-9,500 ca. yr. B.P., held in a container,
reveals a complex treatment of the dead and appears to be unique in the region at this time. This paper
brieftly presents this research, bringing up problematic issues to do with cave stratigraphy and excavation
strategies, and the interpretation of cave deposits.
“Stunning stones/When the spirits left” by A. Kallén. Abstract: Hintang appears at the first glance to be
a quite straightforward archaeological site. With its stunning standing stones and grave chambers among
the mountaintops of northern Laos it is a comfortably curious remnant of a long forgotten past. As such,
this ‘Stonehenge of Laos’ has started to attract eco-tourists. Unlike ordinary hit-and-run tourism,
ecotourism with its ideas of benevolent poverty alleviation and local participation adds a new dimensionthe indigenous-Hintang. If local participation ends with selling Pepsis at the nearby crossroads, which is
often the case, the ecotourism/archaeology relationship can move on in an apparently safe and vicotious
win-win movement towards prosperity. But if the Indigenous dimension is allowed to seriously enter the
archaeological enterprise, its uncanny relation to Hintang as a token of war-time suffering and communist
values returns to challenge the common sense discourse of archaeology, which celebrates comprehensive
beauty and uncomplicated cultural development.
“Managing cultural heritage in East Timor” by A. d. C. Silva and N. V. Oliveira. Abstract: East Timor
has a rich and diversified cultural heritage. The National Directorate for Culture (DNC, Direcção Nacional
de Cultura), under the Ministry of Education and the Secretary of State for Culture, is the institution in East
Timor responsible for safeguarding and managing cultural heritage in the country. This paper discusses
preliminary developments on the roles of DNC in establishing cultural heritage management policies in
East Timor. Plans for the future National Museum will also be presented.
“The Old World and New World connections to the porcelain-inlaid earthenware found in the
Philippines” by D. N Arriola. Abstract: Two potsherds that were decoratively inlaid with chips of broken
porcelain called “porcelain-inlaid earthenware” were unearthed in the 2005 archaeological impacted
assessment of ACECI in San Agustin Museum, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. This led to preliminary
research on the origins and this distribution of this type of pottery, revealing similar types a connection
between our local type of inlaid earthenware with those found in the aforementioned regions as suggested
by archaeological, ethnographic and historical data while establishing that the porcelain-inlaid earthenware
found in the Philippines is, although related, a distinct local type.
“State of new knowledge and promising archaeological prospects from East Borneo” by J.-M. Chazine.
Abstract: Excavations conducted since the last five years in the eastern and archaeologically blank part
Indonesian Borneo has provided a multiple combination of data showing a very complex cultural
succession of mixings. Apart from a very specific rock art indicating an expected originally, archaeological
data provide also some unexpected elements. In association with lithic technology and archaeo-zoological
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observations, ceremics have unvelled an unexpected large variety of patterns displayed in all technical and
aesthetical domains. Some similarities with “lapita styles” shown by some sherds associated moreover
with funerary practices and tridaca flakes are puzzling enough enough to fuel discussions concerning the
settlement processes which happened in that largely still unknown south eastern Asian area.
“A record of Holocene event stratigraphy from tropical lowland peat swamp forests around the Loagan
Bunut in Sarawak, Malaysia Borneo” by R. Premathilake and C. Hunt. Abstract: An AMS radiocarbondated palynological, charcoal and phytolith record from a 40m continuous sediment and peat sequence
from Loagan Bunut, with mineral magnetics and lithology, indicates complex events throughout the
Holocene. High-energy fluvial systems existed in the very early Holocene, indicated by very rapid
accumulation of fine grained sediment and several pronounced peaks in magnetic susceptibility. During
the Early Holocene, coastal mangrove vegetation flourished with tidal influence indicated by mangrove
pollen, marine dinoflagellates and foraminifera. The mangroves were replaced by lowland forest with the
establishment of peat swamp forest. These were severely influenced by humans, indicated by cultural
pollen, charcoal and abrupt changes in the non-forest/forest phytolith ratio. Throughout the sequence,
several dramatic changes in freshwater algal communities provide very striking records of local hydrology
and habitat changes.
“Ecological context and socio-economic changes in a Yao mountain village, northern Thailand” by T.
Masuno. Abstract: Many Yao people migrated from China into Thailand, via Laos, during the early 19th
century. They supported themselves with slash-and-burn farming, and settled in the mountainous regions
of northern Thailand where few inhabitants were present. The present author has studied recent land-use
history and socio-economic change in one Yao village in Phayao province. The village centre is at 950 m
asl, with hills rising to 1500 m above, and a valley descending to about 500 m below. Land-use history was
reconstructed using direct observation, interviews and arial photos from the 1950s to early 2000s. Given
the favorable ecological circumstances, it is curious that the village area was not already inhabited when the
Yao people arrived. The earlier history of occupation in this particular area and locality is completely
unknown, but it is unlikely that the Yao people encountered virgin primary forest when they first arrived
here.
“Fruit-eating birds, hunting techniques and human translocation of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Asia
and the Pacific” by P. J. Matthews. Abstract: Wild taros produce sweet, brightly-coloured and no
poisoinous fruit that are attractive for a wide range of fruit eating birds and other animals. In Southeast
Asia, the fruit have also been widely used as a bait for simple noose traps used to catch birds in forest-edge
habitats. These facts, and recent observations of wild taros in apparently-natural and in obviouslydisturbed habitats, suggest a model of origins and dispersals in which human translocation of the plant may
have been important since long before it was deliberately planted or cultivated as a food source. In
addition, increasing human disturbance of forests throughout tropical Asia and the Pacific, available for
colonization by wild taros, leading to an explosion in genetic diversity of the speicies. A programme of
wide-raning ecological, genetic and ethological research is needed to test these ideas.
“Archaeological and ethnobotanical records of Canarium in Vietnam and Southeast Asia” by Nguyen
Viet. Abstract: Canarium has been an important useful plant in Vietnam since more than ten thousand
years ago. In Southeast Asia, the earliest evidence of this plant as human food may be in Sri Lanka (12,500
BP). But remains excavated at the Hoabinhian cave Con Moong (Thanh Hoa Province, northern Vietnam)
have shown a change in the trees used from Castanopsis to Canarium in the period 11,000 BP-10,500 BP.
This transition to Canarium may reflect general changes in vegetation, in response to the warming climate
of the early Holocene. In Thailand, Canarium was also being used at about 11,000 years ago, in
Hoabinhian contexts. At Con Moong, a range of presumed-wild Canarium speicies are represented in early
deposits. Human influence on plant populations and nature migration of Canarium species is considered.
“Vegeculture and people in Island Southeast Asia” by H. Barton. Abstract: This paper is a discussion of
‘cultivation’ in its different guises and the implications of David Harris’s people-plant’ continuum against a
long history of human occupation of tropical rainforest in Borneo, a history that is demonstrably at least
45,000 years old. One of the main issues considered is how a long history vegeculture, primarily involving
sexual propagation, transplanting and low intensity plant management within a forest environment might
have influenced the beliefs and behaviours of the people themselves. While Harris’s people-plant
continuum is, at least figuratively, a unidirectional system, a model for the origins of agriculture, it is also
possible to conceive of this relationship as a plant-people continuum and to think about the ways that plants
and their reproductive cycles have in turn, made people.
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SRIVIJAYA CIVILIZATION: THE
AWAKENING OF A MARITIME KINGDOM, organized by the National Research Centre
and Development of Archaeology (Puslitbang Arkenas) in Jakarta and the Research Branch
Centre for Archaology (Balai Arkeologi) in Palembang, was held 16-19 July 2008 in Palembang,
Indonesia. It is the general assumption that Srivijaya was a powerful maritime kingdom that
played an important role in the political forum in early Southeast Asia for many centuries, from
the 7th century to the end of the 13th century AD. As with its sudden appearance, not very much
is known of its decline, nor for that matter, the extent of its hegemony in Insular Southeast Asia
during the height of its power. It influenced many social aspects in the region at that time, such as
history of political life, beliefs, culture and economy. The goals of the Conference will be to give
information on: the last decade of research on Srivijaya; the cultural and historical relationships
among Indonesia and Southeast Asia; and Srivijaya as a maritime and powerful empire in
Indonesia and Southeast Asia in early history.
THIRD SINGAPORE GRADUATE FORUM ON SOUTHEAST ASIA was held 24-25 July
2008. Marking the completion of the Asia Research Institute's ASEAN Research Scholars
Programme 2008, the Forum provided a platform for communication and cooperation among
postgraduate students as they mature into the next generation of academic leaders. This two-day
workshop, the third of an annual series of forums for graduate students who work on Southeast
Asia, was organised thematically. Themes included issues in religion, politics, economy, gender,
culture, migration, and population and social change. In addition to student presentations, experts
of the region were also invited to give keynote speeches, sharing their insights on challenges and
issues facing contemporary social science scholarship. For futher details, contact the convenors,
Chee Heng Leng, Patrick Daly, Wasana Wongsurawat, or Ms Valerie Yeo at:
valerie.yeo@nus.edu.sg or visit the website at: www.ari.nus.edu.sg/events_categorydetails.asp?
80 YEARS OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN THAILAND UNDER KING BHUMIBOL
ADULYADEJ’S REIGN, organized by the Department of Archaeology, Silpakorn University
with Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, and Archaeology Alumni, was held 13-15 August 2008
at the Sirindhorn Anthropological Center, Bangkok, Thailand. The conference celebrated the
auspicious occasion of the 80th birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Archaeologists from all over Thailand gathered together and presented papers on various topics
covering prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology, museum studies, and heritage
management.
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 12th
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE was hosted by the International Institute for Asian
Studies and held in Leiden, The Netherlands from 1-5 September 2008. Conference program and
abstracts of presented papers can be seen at: www.iias.nl/euraseaa12
Presented papers included: “Buddhist temples at Angkor” by V. Roveda; “Angkor turns to
Buddhism in 1182 CE” by P. Sharrock; “New study of a Khmer bronze statuette of Lokesvara formerly in
the Colombo National Museum” by B. Vincent; “The Si Pamutung site in Padang Lawas, North Sumatra”
by D. Perret and H. Surachman; “The recently found inscriptions from the north of Sumatera” by R. M.
Setianingsih; “The inscriptions of Srivijaya: inner structure and historical reality” by Anton Zakharov; “The
Sorsogon jar burial tradition” by A. M. M. Ragragio and E. Z. Dizon; “Fame and fortune in two Philippine
cemeteries: tombstones as extensions of identity” by G. Barretto-Tesoro and J. T. Reys; “Funeral scenes in
the Ramayana paintings at the Emerald Buddha Temple, Bangkok” by M.L. Pattaratorn Chirapravati;
“Images of Surya in mainland Southeast Asia” by M. Frenger; “Changing technology: ornaments from
prehistory to protohistory in Thailand and Myanmar” by T. Tan; “Of Iron Age and early medieval glasses
from Vietnam” by K. Brabaender; “The Dong Son dilemma: cultural caution vs commercial confusion” by
E. Bunker; “Infant's lying jars burials in Upper Burma” by A.-S. Coupey; “Thoughts on some specific
copper-alloyed artefacts from Upper Burma: coffin ornaments?” by E. Rambault, A.-S.Coupey, J.-P.
29
Pautreau, and J. C. Le Bannier; “New discoveries in the Badah-lin caves, Myanmar” by Daw Yee Yee
Aung; “Pagan: a riverine port-city in medieval Burma” by G. Lubeigt; “Religious syncretism in eleventh
century Thaton” by P. Gutman; “The epigraphic evidence on Buddhist manuscripts and development of
textual Buddhism in Myanmar c. 1100-1500” by A. Kirichenko; “Ancient cities of Arakan: Dhanyawadi
and Vesali: the archaeological sites in Western Myanmar” by Kyaw Minn Htin; “Perfect Generosity and
the Standardization of Late 17th and 18th Century Burmese Wall Paintings” by A. Green; “Architectural
ornamentation on the rock-cut temples at Shwe Ba Taung (Central Burma/Myanmar)” by A.-M. Chew;
“Pagoda desecration and Myanmar archaeology: 1853-1886 CE” by E. Moore; “The hidden base of
Borobudur” by N. Chutiwongs; “Enshroud in dharma and artha: the narrative sequences of the first gallery
of Candi Borobudur” by C. Levin; “The Borobudur Monument of Avatamsaka Buddhism” by J. Fontein;
“The building phases of Borobudur” by M. Klokke; “Some notes on the paleo-environment of Borobudur”
by F. Lavigne, C. Gomez and V. Degroot; “Vijaya and the Khmero-Cam relationships in the 12th to 13th
centuries” by A.-V. Schweyer; “About the birth and death of two civilizations: Champa and Mon” by E.
Guillon; “The Han period glass vessels from Guangxi in southern China” by B. Borell; “Restoration and
reconstruction of monuments at Bagan, Myanmar” by B. Hudson; “Prehistoric cultural affinities between
Southeast Asia, East Asia and Northeast India” by M. Hazarika; “The spatial relationship of early Vedantic
temples in Southeast Asia” by P. Ronaldson; “Temple Consecration Rituals in the Hindu Tradition of South
and Southeast Asia: A Study of the Textual and Archaeological Evidence” by A. Ślączka; “Dvaravati
period sema stones and their distribution throughout the northeast of Thailand” by S. Murphy;
“Archaeological excavation at Kishkindha, a Dvaravati city in Central Thailand” by S. Khunsong; “Early
Meuang and mandala formation in Vientiane province, Laos” by A. Karlström; “A reconstructive mapping
of the fourteenth century capital and royal palace of Majapahit at Trowulan” by A. Gomperts, A. Haag and
P. Carey; “The worship of Bhima at Candi Sukuh” by H. Santiko; “Southeast Asian and peninsular Indian
statuary: some comparisons and contrasts on style and technology” by S. Srinivasan; “Recent research at
stoneware kiln sites in the Angkor region, Cambodia” by John Miksic; “Inscribed bells from Burma and
Thailand” by C. Bauer; “A new survey of northern Thai stone inscriptions” by M. Buchmann; “The Buni
complex: its development from the prehistoric to the historic period” by A. Akbar; “A limestone outcrop as
a land mark for prehistoric settlement in Manatuto region (East Timor)” by H. Forestier and D. Guillaud;
“Images of local Javanese deities” by P. L. Scheurleer; “Candi Kedulan: recent discovery of a Hind temple
of the ninth century AD in Yogyakarta” by T. Haryono; “An archaeological reading of the unpublished
Babad ratu Galuh lontar” by V. Sukanda-Tessier; “Java and some Chalukyan connections” by J. Guy;
“Figurative codes and narrative structure of the forty-two Ramayana reliefs on the Siva temple of Candi
Loro Jonggrang” by N. Ong; “Panji as an intermediary figure within the Tantric doctrine? A new
interpretation of the symbolism of Candi Panataran in East Java” by L. Kieven; “A stone relief in eastern
Javanese style” by A. de Vries Robbé; “Decorative lintels and artistic workshops: Khmer temples, 7th-11th
centuries” by M. Polkinghorne; “A study of wooden structures: a contribution to the architectural history of
the Bayon style monuments” by O. Cunin; “Bayon and face towers. About a recent paper by Peter
Sharrock” by C. Jacques; “The West mebon Vishnu - an in-depth analysis” by M. Feneley; “Late
prehistoric socio-political developments in the upper Thai-Malay peninsula: four years of investigation at
Khao sam Kaeo (Chumphon)” by B. Bellina and P. Silapanth; “Khao Sam Kaeo's integration in transAsiatic network: addressing the use of trans-Peninsula routes” by P. Silapanth, G. Kozminski, N. Baghdadi
and B. Bellina; “Archaeobotany in Khao Sam Kaeo: preliminary results” by C. Castillo; “Technological
analysis of Indian and Indian style wares from Kaho Sam kaeo (Chumphon area), Peninsular Thailand, 4th2nd century BC” by P. Bouvet; “Khao Sam Kaeo: an archaeometallurgical crossroad for trans-Asiatic
technological styles” by M. Murillo, T. O. Pryce and M. Martinón-Torres; “Overview of Han artefacts in
Southeast Asia with special reference to the recently excavated material from Khao Sam Kaeo in southern
Thailand” by S. Peronnet; “Research in the prehistory of Laos” by M. Santoni; “Bui Chi Hoang Revising
Sa Huynh - Kalanay Pottery Tradition” by M. Yamagata; “Archaeological excavation of the old Cham kiln
site of Go Hoi in Vietnam” by M. Lambrecht and A. Degraeve; “15th to 17th century jar burials in the
Cardamom mountains, Cambodia: preliminary results” by N. B. Athfield, J. Miksic, K. Rethy Chhem, K.
Latinus, L. Shewan and D. O'Reilly; “Jars in the highlands of mainland Southeast Asia” by L. Lefferts and
L. Cort; “The Cultured Rainforest Project: Preliminary archaeological results from the Kelabit Highlands,
Sawarak” by G. Barker, L. Lloyd-Smith, H. Barton, L. Farr, S. Jones, C. Hunt and M. Janowski; “The
archaeological textiles from the Great Cave at Niah, Sarawak” by J. Cameron; “Gongs, bells and cymbals:
the archeological record in maritime Southeast Asia, c. 10th to 16th centuries” by A. Nicolas; “The
prehistory of the Daic (Tai) speaking peoples” by R. Blench; “Health and society in pre-historic Northeast
30
Thailand” by H. Cekalovic and K. Domett; “Recently discovered infant jar burials from Wat Pho Srinai,
Ban Chiang, Northeastern Thailand” by N. Wangthongchaicharoen; “Prehistoric people from Ban Chiang:
a case of human skeletal remains from the most recent excavation in 2003” by K. Boonlop; “The socioeconomic dimensions of prehistoric ceramic production: evidence from Southeast Asia” by B. Vincent;
“Ceramic technology in Bang Chiang Cultural tradition sites, Northeastern Thailand” by S. Bubpha and S.
Rungcharoensuksri; “On the plausibility of laterite-based iron smelting and the possibility of regional iron
exchange: Technical notes from the 14-15th c. AD site of Ban Kao Din Tai, Buriram Province, Thailand”
by T. O. Pryce and S. Natapintu; “Cultural diversity of Metal Age West Thailand: recent excavations in
Kanchanaburi and Ratchburi provinces” by P. Kanjanajuntorn; “Human migration in prehistoric South East
Asia: the biological and chemical evidence” by K. Cox, R. Bentley, N. Tayles and H. Buckley; “The
chronology of the prehistoric occupation of Ban Non Wat, Northeast Thailand” by C. Higham and T.
Higham; “Society, environment and resilience? at Ban Non Wat, northeast Thailand” by N. Chang, B.
Boyd, W. Wiriyaromp, A. Kijngam and K. Domett; “Bioarchaeological interpretation of the new burials at
Ban Non Wat, Northeast Thailand: Preliminary results from the 2007-2008 field season” by K. Domett, H.
Cekalovic, S. Halcrow, N. Chang, W. Wiriyaromp, B. Boyd and A. Kijngam; “The iron age of Ban Non
Wat” by C. Higham; “The spinners from Ban Don Ta Phet: some new insights into gender in Southeast
Asia” by J. Cameron; “A Neolithic cemetery at Niah, Sarawak” by L. Lloyd-Smith; “Trade and technology
in metal object” by A. Bennett; “Archaeological evidence of early human settlement in the PNG highlands”
by H. Dosedla; “A new program of obsidian sourcing in island Southeast Asia to look at pre-Neolithic and
Neolithic mobility and exchange” by M. Spriggs and C. Reepmeyer; “The excavation at Tra kieu and Go
Cam: the emergence of the early state in central Vietnam through Dr. Ian C. Glover's researches (19932000)” by Nguyen Kim Dung and M. Yamagata; “The date of My Son A.1 and the chronology of temple
architecture in the Champa culture” by W. A. Southworth; “Under the volcano: state formation and
stabilization in early Java” by J. Wisseman Christie; “Pan-regional Responses to Indian Inputs in Early
Southeast Asia” by P.-Y. Manguin; “A terrifying Buddhist image from Theravada Thailand” by D. PaulGupta; “Lives of images in 15th century Thailand” by A. Chiu; “The cross-handed gesture in Sri Lankan
and Thai art: a new observation” by C. Tingsangchali; “Retracing the sources of the Khmer Kingdom” by J.
Baptiste Chevance, P. Bâty and Chantha Seng; “Khmer ceramic technology: a case study from Thnal
Mrech kiln site (TMK), Phnom Kulen” by Chhay Rachna; “Indian archaeological and literary sources for
Sivapada in Cambodia” by Sachchidanand Sahai; “The Ta Muean temples” by P. Pichard; “The
epigraphical corpus of the temple of Ta Muean Thom” by G. Gerschheimer, A. Griffiths and D. Soutif;
“New archaeological and epigraphical data concerning the sanctuary of Prasat Neak Buos” by D. Soutif
and G. Gerschheimer; “Research on the practice of resource-sharing between several temples in Angkor,
Cambodia” by J. Estève; “Putting Śiva's Footprint on the Map. Maps and map-making in 11th century
Cambodia” by A. Griffiths; “Landscape marked by the God's Seal: some features of the Kamrateng Jagat in
Cambodia of the 10th-11th centuries” by E. Bourdonneau; “About kamaraten jagat ta rajya: a linguistic
study of ta in old Khmer inscriptions” by J. Deth Thach; “Early glass in Southeast Asia: The rest of the
story?” by J. W. Lankton, L. Dussubieux and Capt. Boonyarit Chaisuwan; “Foreign trade, local taste: social
issues of trade ceramics in later proto-historic/early modern Island Southeast Asian societies” by K.-J.
Chang; “Votive Tablets from Batujaya site, Karawang, West Java. A comparison” by Agustijanto
Indradjaya.
FELLOWSHIPS
VISITING SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS, ASIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE,
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE. The Asia Research Institute, National
University of Singapore is inviting applications for 3-Month Visiting (Senior) Research
Fellowships and Visiting (Senior) Research Fellowships under the ARI Sabbatical Leave Scheme
for commencement in April, July and October 2009. The positions are intended for outstanding
active researchers on Asian topics, with a balance anticipated between senior and junior, the
Asian region and the world. At least one published outcome is expected, and applicants who do
not normally publish in English will be encouraged and assisted to do so. Interdisciplinary
interests are encouraged. “Asia” as a research field is defined loosely in terms of the region in
31
which Singapore is positioned. The application closing date is 1 October 2008. For more on the
positions and application procedure, see: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg or email: joinari@nus.edu.sg.
THE HARVARD ACADEMY FOR INTERNATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES
SCHOLARS PROGRAM. The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Scholars
Program seeks to identify and support outstanding scholars who are at the start of their careers
whose work combines disciplinary excellence in the social sciences (including history and law)
with a command of the language, history or culture of non-Western countries or regions. Their
scholarship may elucidate domestic, comparative, or transnational issues, past or present. The
Academy Scholars are a select group of individuals who show promise of becoming leading
scholars at major universities or international institutions. The competition for these awards is
open only to recent Ph.D. (or comparable professional school degree) recipients and doctoral
candidates. Pre-doctoral applicants must have completed all course work and general
examinations at the time of application and are expected to have made significant progress on
their dissertations.
Academy Scholars are appointed and supported by the Harvard Academy for
International and Area Studies and are provided time, guidance, access to Harvard facilities, and
substantial financial assistance as they work for two years conducting either post-doctoral or
final-stage dissertation research in their chosen fields and areas. Some teaching is permitted but
not required. The Senior Scholars, a distinguished group of senior Harvard faculty members, act
as mentors to the Academy Scholars to help them achieve their intellectual potential. Postdoctoral Scholars will receive an annual stipend of $48,000, and pre-doctoral Scholars will
receive an annual stipend of $28,000. Applications for the 2009-2010 class of Academy Scholars
are due by 10 October 2008. Finalist interviews will take place in Cambridge December 12,
2008. Notification of Scholarships will be made in January, 2009. For complete information on
how to apply visit: http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/academy/
CENTER FOR KHMER STUDIES PH.D. & SENIOR FELLOWSHIP COMPETITION
FOR RESEARCH IN CAMBODIA. The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) invites applications
from U.S. scholars who wish to conduct their research in Cambodia and neighboring countries for
the CKS/Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Fellowships. PhD
Fellowships are available to candidates from all disciplines to conduct doctoral dissertation
research in Cambodia for up to eleven months. Senior Fellowships – long-term (six to nine
months) and short-term (four months or less) – are available for scholars who hold a PhD. The
fellowships are open to U.S. citizens only who are doctoral candidates or scholars who have
already earned their PhD. Scholars can pursue research in other countries in mainland Southeast
Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam) provided that part of their research is undertaken in Cambodia.
Application deadline is 15 November 2008. For further information and application forms,
please see the Center for Khmer Studies website: http://www.khmerstudies.org/
THE BRITISH ACADEMY VISITING PROFESSORSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS. The
Academy's Visiting Professorships scheme enables distinguished scholars from overseas to be
invited to spend a minimum of two weeks in the United Kingdom. The Academy grants the title
of British Academy Visiting Professor or (for a more junior scholar) British Academy Visiting
Fellow and awards a sum of money towards the estimated travel and maintenance costs. All
arrangements are undertaken by the visitor's British sponsor. While the delivery of lectures and
participation in seminars is not precluded, the main purpose of the visit should be to enable the
visitor to pursue research. It is not intended that the Academy's Fellowships and Professorships
should be used in conjunction with a non-stipendiary university fellowship. Eligibility:
Candidates for nominations must be either established scholars of distinction or younger people
who show great promise and who would benefit from time to pursue their research in the United
32
Kingdom. Level of grant: The Academy will meet travel expenses to the United Kingdom, and
provide subsistence for Visiting Professors and Fellows up to a maximum of 700 pounds a week.
Applicants will be expected to submit a carefully-costed budget within this limit. The normal
maximum length of visit will be one month, but applications for longer periods will be
considered, although it will be expected that the weekly budget for longer visits will be set at a
more moderate level. Method of application and closing date: The British sponsor should apply
on the Visiting Professorships application form, available from the Academy's International
Relations Department (Tel. 20 7969 5220, overseas@britac.ac.uk). Applications direct from
foreign scholars will not be accepted. The closing date for applications is 31 December.
Applications are considered in late February, for visits to take place during the financial year
beginning 1 April. (It may be possible to entertain applications at other times of the year, but the
Academy's aim is to allocate the available funds at one time.)
THE COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP COMMISSION IN THE UK.
The
Commission was set up under the Commonwealth Scholarship Act 1959, as the body responsible
for the United Kingdom's participation in the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan,
itself established in 1959. The Plan was designed as a system of awards to men and women from
all Commonwealth countries chosen for their high intellectual promise and their capacity to
return to make a significant contribution to life in their own countries. One of its guiding
principles is that it be based upon mutual co-operation and the sharing of educational experience
among all countries of the Commonwealth. As well as General Scholarships, the Commission
also administers Academic Staff Scholarships, Commonwealth Academic Fellowships, SplitSite Doctoral Scholarships, Scholarships by Distance Learning, Professional Fellowships
and the DFID Shared Scholarship Scheme. More information on all of these schemes, and also
on the work of the Commission (including Annual Reports and Events information) can be found
on the UK page of the recently launched international CSFP website:
www.csfponline.org/hostcountries/uk/
THE ROYAL SOCIETY'S INCOMING FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME aims to foster
science and technology links between the UK and various countries throughout the world,
enabling outstanding postdoctoral scientists to conduct cutting-edge research with their UK
counterparts. The research undertaken must be on a subject within the natural sciences, and
includes the scientific aspects of archaeology. The Asian countries which the fellowship
programme includes are: China, India, Japan, South Korea and South East Asia (Brunei, Burma
(Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).
All applications for this scheme must be completed online via e-GAP by the UK host
scientist on behalf of an overseas candidate. The host must be a British or EU citizen resident in
the UK. Non-UK/EU citizens must have held a permanent position at a UK institute for three
years minimum to act as a host. Applicants and their overseas candidates must be of postdoctoral
or equivalent status at the time the award is taken up. Scientists in the final year of their PhD can
submit an application to be considered for a fellowship. If successful, the award will only be
given subject to the confirmation of their PhD at the time when the award is taken up. Fellowship
candidates must be nationals of the country from which they are applying and should be resident
and working in the country of nationality. Priority may be given to applicants with less
experience of having worked abroad. Applicants currently in the UK are not eligible to apply.
Candidates for the fellowship programme should identify and contact a UK host scientist who is
willing to submit an application on their behalf; substantial contact between host and applicant
prior to the application is essential. This contact should lead to a clearly defined and mutuallybeneficial research proposal. All applicants must be competent in oral and written English. The
UK host should verify they are happy with the level of English of the applicant in the application
form where this is requested.
33
The Royal Society will provide funding for visits of between six months minimum and
up to 12 months maximum. UK hosts should be based at any UK research institution. Scientists
working in governmental research institutes are not necessarily excluded from acting as hosts but
they should explain, in a separate email, why their parent institute is not funding the visit. The
Royal Society will provide funding to cover the visiting scientists cost of living in the UK
including food and accommodation. A further £1000 is provided for research expenses and
another £1000 is provided for subsidiary scientific visits within the UK and Europe. Rounds for
applications will be open approximately 12 weeks before the closing date - China
Fellowships: early May and early October annually; India Fellowships: early May and early
October annually; South East Asia, South Korea and Japan Fellowships: early February annually.
For further details: www.royalsoc.ac.uk/funding.asp?id=2349
WENNER-GREN
FOUNDATION
FOR
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS Professional
Development International Fellowships are intended for scholars and advanced students from
countries in which anthropology or specific subfields of anthropology are underrepresented and
who therefore seek additional training to enhance their skills or to develop new areas of expertise
in anthropology. The program offers three types of awards: Predoctoral Fellowship for study
leading to a Ph.D.; Postdoctoral Fellowship for scholars wishing advanced training; Library
Residency Fellowship for advanced students and postdoctoral scholars within five years of
receiving their doctorate to travel to libraries with outstanding collections in anthropology.
Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships: Applicants must be prepared to
demonstrate: the unavailability of such training in their home country; their provisional
acceptance by a host institution that will provide such training; their intention to return and work
in their home country upon completion of their training. The applicant must have a home sponsor
who is a member of the institution with which he/she is affiliated in the home country and a host
sponsor who is a member of the institution in which the candidate plans to pursue training. The
host sponsor must be willing to assume responsibility for overseeing the candidate's training.
Because the fellowship is intended as a partnership with the Host Institution in providing the
fellow's training, it is expected that candidates will also be offered support by the host institution.
Predoctoral Fellowships are made for amounts up to $15,000 per year. Fellows may apply for up
to two renewals. Postdoctoral Fellowships are made for amounts up to $35,000 for one year, with
the possibility of one renewal. Inquiries about the predoctoral and postdoctoral awards should be
made by means of a one-page Summary Statement of Purpose. Preliminary requirements must be
met to determine eligibility for a formal application. There is no deadline for these programs,
however, those interested in receiving a Predoctoral or Postdoctoral Fellowship application must
contact the foundation at least six months prior to enrollment in the host institution.
Library Residency Fellowships: Applicants must be prepared to show that travel to a
library is necessary for preparing a research proposal or completing a project designed to advance
teaching and scholarship in the home country. They must also be able to obtain a letter from their
home supervisor or chairperson attesting to the applicant's need of library materials not available
in the home institution. The foundation has set up host sponsors at several libraries with excellent
collections in different areas of anthropology, from which the applicant can choose. An applicant
must be accepted by one of these sponsors before a library residency can be awarded. Library
Residency Fellowships are made for amounts up to $5,000 for a maximum period of three
months. They are not renewable. Library Residency Fellowship candidates should contact the
foundation at least three months before their intended starting date.
Contact details: The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, 220 Fifth
Ave, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001-7708. Fax: 001.212.683.9151. Forms can be requested
by e-mail (inquiries@wennergren.org), by letter or telephone (001 212-683-5000). Web address:
www.wennergren.org/programsirg.html
34
WENNER-GREN
FOUNDATION
FOR
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
WADSWORTH SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS are intended to provide support for doctoral
students or post-doctoral scholars who normally should be within ten years of receiving their
doctorate to enhance their research capacity in the field of anthropology [which includes
archaeology]. The fellowship may be used for the following purposes: 1) To pursue research in a
library outside the applicant's home country. The fellowship enables scholars to make use of
international-level library resources. This fellowship can be used to prepare an anthropological
research proposal or complete an anthropological project designed to advance teaching and
scholarship in the applicant's home country. 2) To take advantage of a training opportunity
outside the applicant's home country. This fellowship can be used to enable scholars to enhance
their research skills in anthropology through training in state-of-the-art research techniques and
methodologies. These awards are available only to individuals from countries where
anthropology is underrepresented and where there are limited resources to send students overseas
for training.
The fellowships provide funding of up to $5000 and are not renewable. The length of the
library or training visit should normally be no more than 3 months in duration. The award can be
used towards relevant expenses for travel, subsistence, fees, insurance, books, etc.
There is no deadline for the Wadsworth Short-Term Fellowships; however, there is a
two-stage application process. The first stage is the preliminary inquiry. If an applicant is
considered eligible based on the review of the preliminary inquiry, he/she will be invited to
submit a full application. An eligibility decision is usually made within one week of receipt of the
preliminary inquiry. For eligible applicants, the final decision is normally made within three
months of receiving the full application. Applicants who are invited to submit a full application
will receive an email with application instructions after submitting their preliminary inquiry.
Questions about this program should be e-mailed to: internationalprograms@wennergren.org.
For more detailed information on program requirements, applications, procedures, and review
criteria, visit:
www.wennergren.org/programs/programs_show.htm?doc_id=376103&attrib_id=13233
RESEARCH GRANTS
ASIAN CULTURAL COUNCIL PHILIPPINES FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. The Asian
Cultural Council established the Philippines Fellowship Program in 2000 in order to offer more
opportunities for artists, scholars, and cultural institutions in the Philippines to participate in its
grants program. The Philippines Fellowship Program has been created in partnership with the
Asian Cultural Council Philippines Foundation in Manila, which collaborates with the ACC in
raising funds and making grants in support of the dedicated arts community in the Philippines.
Through the Philippines Fellowship Program, the ACC awards grants to individuals and
cultural institutions in the Philippines for international exchange activities. Fields of award
include archaeology, architecture (design, history, and theory), arts administration, art criticism,
art history, conservation, crafts, dance, design, film and video, museology, music, painting,
photography, printmaking, sculpture, and theater. Applications are not accepted for studies in arts
education, commercial design, mass communications, landscape architecture, or urban planning.
In addition, the ACC does not provide support for film or video production.
Individuals and institutions wishing to apply for grant support should send a brief
description of their plans to the Asian Cultural Council's office in New York by 1 January of
each year. Asian Cultural Council, 6 West 48th Street, Floor 12, New York, NY 10036-1802.
Email: acc@accny.org. If the proposed activity falls within the Council's guidelines, application
35
materials requesting more detailed information will be provided. The deadline for receipt of
completed applications is February 1 for proposals to be considered at the spring meeting.
For
more
information,
please
see
their
website
at:
www.asianculturalcouncil.org/pfp/fellowships.html
HENRY LUCE FOUNDATION/ACLS GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS IN EAST AND
SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND EARLY HISTORY. The American Council
of Learned Societies is pleased to announce the fourth annual competition for grants to
individuals in the archaeology and early history of East and Southeast Asia. This program is
undertaken in cooperation with the Henry Luce Foundation. Comparative projects and those that
build scholarly networks are especially encouraged. Proposals may cover prehistoric or historical
periods, but must focus on research or training that involves excavations and/or excavated
materials. Deadline: 14 November 2008. The full description of the program and the application
forms are available at http://www.acls.org/programs/esaaeh.
LEAKEY FOUNDATION The Leakey Foundation was formed to further research into human
origins, behaviour and survival. Special research Grants (up to $20,000) available to postdoctoral and senior scientists for exceptional research projects studying multidisciplinary
palaeoanthropology. For further information, contact: Grants Officer, The Leakey Foundation,
P.O. Box 29346, 1002A O'Reilly Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94129-0346 USA; Telephone: (415)
561-4646; FAX: (415) 561-4647; E-mail: grants@leakeyfoundation.org; or visit their web site
at: www.leakeyfoundation.org/
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY For information write to: Committee for Research
and Exploration, National Geographic Society 17th and M Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20036
USA; or visit their web site at: www.nationalgeographic.com/research/grant/rg1.html
ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION Awards to assist women and men of outstanding promise to
make significant contributions to research and teaching or public service in the future as potential
staff members of developing-country institutions associated with the Foundation. For information
write to: Rockefeller Foundation 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036 USA.
WENNER-GREN FOUNDATION FOR ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH.
For
information on their research grants write to: 220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10001-7708,
USA or visit their web site at: www.wennergren.org
RECENT PHD & MA THESES
BAKARA, M. R. 2007. Re-examination and Meaning of the Pacitanian Assemblages in the
Context of South-East Asian Prehistory. MA Thesis, Instituto Politécnico de Tomar Universidade de Tràs-os-Montes e Alto Duro. [This thesis can be downloaded as a pdf from the
Human Origins Patrimony in Southeast Asia website: http://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/index.html]
BARRETTO-TESORO, GRACE 2007. Social Identities and Earthenware Functions in 15th
Century AD Philippines. PhD Thesis, Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University.
Abstract. This research proposes that external trade had different impacts on societies in the
Philippines during the 15th century A.D. It puts forward that using an agency-perspective
approach contributes to a fuller understanding of the social relations in a society—not just among
the elites but also among other segments of the society. I argue that individuals negotiated their
36
identity and status through routines like pottery production and participation in raiding, feasting,
trading, and ritual performances. I will demonstrate that individuals wield different forms and
measurements of power through the possession of certain skills and knowledge. Social relations
may be scenes of power, regardless of the status of the parties involved, and such relations may
have included spirits.
The case study is Calatagan, which comprises several cemeteries along the coast. The
burials contained a variety of objects including earthenware vessels, foreign-made ceramics,
metal implements, glass ornaments, and spindle whorls. Based on the ethnohistory of the
Tagalogs, the most probable group that occupied Calatagan, identities and statuses were
influenced by reciprocity. I will show that this reciprocity is evident in the kinds of mortuary
objects. One of the effects of external trade was craft standardisation, but pottery production in
Calatagan was not standardised. Another effect is the creation of hierarchy between people and
objects. This research also shows that heterarchy is a more applicable model than a hierarchical
one in Calatagan. The burial objects represent a spectrum of identities. My analysis of the grave
goods suggests these items signalling various functions and marking different identities were
determined by their designs and locations in graves. The identities represented in the burials were
cultural affiliation (usually represented by cooking pots placed at the feet and head areas or
monochrome ceramics held by the hands), personal identity relating to age and sex (marked
by ornaments), and prestige or status (marked by porcelain plates with sun and bird motifs
covering the pelvis). Apparently gender was more marked than sex. In the burials, networks of
associations were stressed more than personal identities. Some infants were placed in jars, which
I interpreted as votives, the actual infant being the votive. Ascribed statuses are evident in
prestige items found with non-adults. Some burials had overlapping identities: they contained
objects communicating cultural affiliation, roles, and status while some only had
objects indicating their cultural associations. It seems that a flexible hierarchy with horizontal
differentiation existed in Calatagan where people had diverse sources of power.
CHANG, KUANG-JEN 2008. Social Use and Value of Trade Ceramics: An Analysis of
Mortuary Practices in Calatagan, Southwest Luzon, the Philippines. PhD Thesis, Institute of
Archaeology, University College London.
Abstract. The widespread distribution of high-fired glazed ceramics from China and Mainland
Southeast Asia is one of the striking features of protohistoric Philippines as evidenced in the
archaeological record They were not only an important indicator of inter-regional contact, but
were also highly valued possessions in local societies, though their role is poorly understood.
Thus, this thesis undertakes a theoretically-informed investigation of the social uses and value
systems of imported trade ceramics vis-à-vis locally made earthenwares, from seven cemeteries
in Calatagan, southwest Luzon, dating between the mid-15th and mid-16th centuries.
In previous studies, a key problem is the assumption of trade ceramics as only
representing prestige goods, in which they are treated either as categorically distinct from local
earthenwares or as an undifferentiated class of material objects. This study instead examines trade
ceramics and earthenwares in terms of patterns of similarity and difference in their social uses. To
do so, specifically, this research sets out to investigate particular hypothesised relationships
between trade ceramics and earthenwares: quantity, association, location, gradation, and
imitation, as well as variables such as age, physical treatment, body arrangement, variation
between sites, and different burial types.
The results of quantitative analysis show that the use and value of trade ceramics are
manipulated in more complicated ways. It is, therefore, reasonable to suggest that trade ceramics
are not categorically distinct from earthenwares among late protohistoric Calatagan society. This
thesis thus contributes to our understanding of the mortuary practice, as well as various social
uses and values of trade ceramics in protohistoric lowland Philippine societies and of the
37
changing nature of the interaction between local society and long distance maritime trade in
Southeast Asia. At a theoretical level, this thesis also contributes to the general understandings of
the social value of material culture amongst complex societies.
CHITKAMENT, T. 2007. Lithic Analysis of Moh Khiew Rockshelter (locality 1) in Krabi
River Valley, Krabi Province, South-Western Thailand. MA Thesis, Universitat Rovira I Virgili,
Tarragona. [This thesis can be downloaded as a pdf from the Human Origins Patrimony in Southeast Asia
website: http://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/index.html]
CUEVAS, NIDA TUBALADO 2007. Figuring Sex and Gender in Maitum Anthropomorphic
Vessels: Ethnographic Analogy and Standardization. MA Thesis, Archaeological Studies
Program, University of the Philippines.
Abstract. The Maitum anthropomorphic potteries are secondary burial jars dated to the Metal
Age period were recovered in Ayub Cave site in Barangay Pinol at the Municipality of Maitum,
Saranggani Province. These anthropomorphic vessels are shaped and produced in a realistic
approach with features (i.e., head, eyes, nose, ears, mouth and teeth; breast, genitalia, hands and
arms; navel and neck) of a human figure that distinctly portrays male and female.
In determining sex and gender of these materials entails the method of ethnographic analogy and
degree of standardization in inferring maleness and femaleness of the anthropomorphic vessels.
The study has established that measuring the degree of standardization applied to the head and
eyes of the anthropomorphic vessels is gender-free. On the other hand, the application of
ethnographic analogy decode queries on cross-cultural perspectives of body embellishment has
been helpful in figuring sex and gender specific markers. The application of gender archaeology
to the Maitum anthropomorphic vessels has not been straightforward although there are number
of meaningful insights into the approach.
HENG, S. 2007. A Study of Polished Stone Tools from Samrong Sen, Cambodia: The French
Museum Collections. MA Thesis, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. [This thesis can be
downloaded as a pdf from the
http://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/index.html]
Human
Origins
Patrimony
in
Southeast
Asia
website:
PURNOMO, A. 2007. La sédimentation du lac de Guyang Warak (Punung-Java Est,
Indonésie). MA Thesis, Erasmus Mundus ‘Quaternary and prehistor’, Muséum national
d’Histoire naturelle. [This thesis can be downloaded as a pdf from the Human Origins Patrimony in
Southeast Asia website: http://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/index.html]
ROBLES, E. 2007. Palynological Investigation of a Laminated Sediment Core from Lake
Guyang Warak, Java, Indonesia. MA Thesis, Erasmus Mundus “Quaternary and prehistory”,
Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. [This thesis can be downloaded as a pdf from the Human
Origins Patrimony in Southeast Asia website: http://hopsea.mnhn.fr/pc/index.html]
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
BACUS, ELISABETH A., IAN C. GLOVER and PETER D. SHARROCK (eds, with the
editorial assistance of John Guy and Vince C. Pigott) 2008. Interpreting Southeast Asia’s Past.
Singapore: National University of Singapore Press.
Contents: “Moats and enclosure walls of the Khmer temples” by C. Jacques; “How many face towers in
the Bayon?” by O. Cunin; “The date of the Baphuon and the later chronology of Angkor” by W.A.
Southworth; “The dancers and musicians of Tra Kieu: pedestal or base?” by P. Baptiste; “The relationship
between architecture and sculpture in Cham sacred art of the seventh to the ninth centuries AD” by Tran
38
Ky Phuong; “The archaeology of Champa, north of Hue – towards new perspectives” by E. Guillon;
“Recasting the sacred heroes: a new discovery of sculptural epic narration from ancient Champa” by C.
Levin; “Chandi Singhasari – a recent study” by N. Chutiwongs; “Ancient gardens and Hindu-Buddhist
architecture in Java” by Sri Soejatmi Satari; “Siva in Burma” by P. Gutman; “The sermon on Mount Meru
in the murals of Pagan” by C. Bautze-Picron; “Buddhist artifacts recently unearthed at Lopburi” by P.
Bumadhon; “The Yoginīs of the Bayon” by P.D. Sharrock; “The rock shelter of Peung Kumnu and Vishnu
images on Phnom Kulen” by H.I. Jessup; “A new fashion in male headdress during East Javanese
Majapahit time – the tekes-cap in narrative reliefs on Candi Jago” by L. Kieven; “Heger I bronze drums and
the relationships between Dian and Dong Son cultures” by A. Calo; “Horses in the Dian Culture of
Yunnan” by T.H. Chiou-Peng; “Kalpana in ancient Cambodia” by S. Pou; “Buddhist sealings in Thailand
and Southeast Asia: iconography, function and ritual context” by P. Skilling; “The act of naming
Avalokitesvara in ancient Southeast Asia” by R.L. Brown; “New data on Khmer kiln sites” by Ea Darith,
Chhay Visoth, Chap Sopheara, Lam Sopheak, Loeung Ravatey, Sok Keo Sovannara and Em Socheata;
“Water and fire – farming and ceramics – on Phnom Kulen: putting people into Angkor” by L. Lefferts and
L.A. Cort; “Amalgam gilding in Khmer culture“ by E.C. Bunker; “Recent research on Dvaravati cultural
workshop sites in Petchaburi Province, Thailand” by P. Indrawooth; “Chronology of various types of
ceramics based on some recent excavations in the Malay world” by M.-F. Dupoizat; “A study of mid-first
millennium CE Southeast Asian specialized glass beadmaking traditions” by J.W. Lankton, L. Dussubieux
and Th. Rehren; “Petrographic Characterization of Khmer Sculpture at the National Museum of Cambodia,
Phnom Penh” by J.G. Douglas; “Paint, plaster and stucco – decorative features of Khmer temples in
Cambodia” by E. von Plehwe-Leisen and H. Leisen; “The need for anthropological approaches to
conservation and management of living heritage sites: a case study of Angkor, Cambodia” by K. Miura;
“The ‘German Apsara Conservation Project’ at Angkor Wat – stone conservation of the Khmer heritage of
Cambodia – practical execution and new results” by H. Leisen, E. von Plehwe-Leisen, S. Warrack and Nari
Long; and “Legacy of a secret war: archaeological research and clearance in the Plain of Jars, Lao PDR” by
P. Rogers and J. Van Den Bergh.
BELLINA-PRYCE, BÉRÉNICE (ed) 2008. Dossier on: The archaeology of prehistoric transAsiatic exchange: technological and settlement evidence from Khao Sam Kaeo. Bulletin de
l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient 93.
Articles include: “Weaving cultural identities on trans-asiatic networks: Upper Thai-Malay
peninsula early socio-political landscape” by B. Bellina-Pryce and P. Silapanth; “The development of
metallurgies in the Upper Thai-Malay peninsula: Initial interpretation of the archaeometallurgical evidence
from Khao Sam Kaeo” by T. Pryce, B. Bellina-Pryce and A. Bennett; Glass from Khao Sam Kaeo:
Transferred technology for an early Southeast Asian exchange network” by J. Lankton, L. Dussubieux and
B. Gratuze; “Étude préliminaire de céramiques indiennes et ‘indianisantes’ du site de Khao Sam Kaeo IVeIIe siècles av. J.-C.” by P. Bouvet.
BULBECK, DAVID and IAN CALDWELL 2008. Oryza sativa and the origins of kingdoms
in South Sulawesi, Indonesia: Evidence from rice husk phytoliths. Indonesia and the Malay
World 36: 1-20.
DOMETT, KATE (ed) 2008. Southeast Asia Bioarchaeology Newsletter No. 4. [Note: This is
an annual newsletter providing the latest news in the field of bioarchaeology in Southeast Asia. Contact
Kate.Domett@jcu.edu.au for further information]
DUPOIZAT, MARIE-FRANCE and NANIEK HARKANTININGSIH 2007. Catalogue of
the Chinese Style Ceramics of Majapahit Tentative Inventory. Paris: Cahier d’Archipel. (€29 from
L’Association Archipel: archipel@ehess.fr)
FLETCHER, ROLAND, DAN PENNY, DAMIAN EVANS, CHRISTOPHE POTTIER,
MIKE BARBETTIL, MATTI KUMMU, TERRY LUSTIG and THE APSARA
DIRECTORATE 2008. The water management network of Angkor, Cambodia. Antiquity 82:
658–670.
39
GUTMAN, PAMELA, BOB HUDSON, KYAW MINN HTIN, and KYAW TUN AUNG
2007. Rock art and artisans in the Lemro Valley, Arakan, Myanmar. Antiquity 81: 655-674.
HAUSER-SCHÄUBLIN, BRIGITTA and I WAYAN ARDIKA (eds) 2008. Burials, Texts
and Rituals. Ethnoarchaeological Investigations in North Bali, Indonesia. Goettinger Beitraege
zur Ethnologie, vol. 1. Goettingen: Universitaetsverlag. [Note: This book is also accessible as a free
open source at:
http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/univerlag/2008/GBE1_bali.pdf>http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/univerlag/2008/GB
E1_bali.pdf]
KEALHOFER, LISA and PETER GRAVE 2008. Land use, political complexity, and
urbanism in Mainland Southeast Asia. American Antiquity 73: 200-225.
LERTRIT, PATCHAREE, SAMERCHAI POOLSUWAN, RACHANIE THOSARAT,
THITIMA SANPACHUDAYAN, HATHAICHANOKE BOONYARIT, CHATCHAI
CHINPAISAL, and BHOOM SUKTITIPAT 2008. Genetic history of Southeast Asian
populations as revealed by ancient and modern human mitochondrial DNA analysis. American
Journal of Physical Anthropology, available as an Early View document published on-line 9 July
2008.
LEWIS, HELEN 2007. Preliminary soil micromorphology studies of landscape and occupation
history at Tabon Cave, Palawan, Philippines. Geoarchaeology 22: 685-708.
LEWIS, HELEN, VICTOR PAZ, MYRA LARA, HUW BARTON, PHILIP PIPER,
JANINE OCHOA, TIMOTHY VITALES, A. JANE CARLOS, TOM HIGHAM, LEEE
NERI, VITO HERNANDEZ, JANELLE STEVENSON, EMIL CHARLES ROBLES,
ANDREA RAGRAGIO, ROJO PADILLA, WILHELM SOLHEIM and WILFREDO
RONQUILLO 2008. Terminal Pleistocene to mid-Holocene occupation and an early cremation
burial at Ille Cave, Palawan, Philippines. Antiquity 82: 318-335.
MARWICK, BEN 2008. What attributes are important for the measurement of assemblage
reduction intensity? Results from an experimental stone artefact assemblage with relevance to the
Hoabinhian of mainland Southeast Asia. Journal of Archaeological Science 35: 1189-1200.
MATSUMURA, HIROFUMI, MINORU YONEDA, YUKIO DODO, MARC F.
OXENHAM, NGUYEN LAN CUONG, NGUYEN KIM THUY, LAM MY DUNG, VU THE
LONG, MARIKO YAMAGATA, JUNMEI SAWADA, KENICHI SHINODA and
WATARU TAKIGAWA 2008. Terminal Pleistocene human skeleton from Hang Cho Cave,
northern Vietnam: implications for the biological affinities of Hoabinhian people.
Anthropological
Science,
advanced
publication
available
on-line
at:
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/ase/advpub/0/_contents
McGRATH, R. J., W. E. BOYD and R. T. BUSH 2008. The paleohydrological context of the
Iron Age floodplain sites of the Mun River Valley, Northeast Thailand. Geoarchaeology 23: 151172.
O’CONNOR, SUE 2007. New evidence from East Timor contributes to our understanding of
earliest modern human colonisation east of the Sunda Shelf. Antiquity 81: 523-535.
40
O’CONNOR, SUE and ATHOLL ANDERSON 2008. Maritime Migration and Colonization
in Indo-Pacific Prehistory. Special issue of Asian Perspectives 47(1).
Papers on Southeast Asia include: “Indo-Pacific Migration and Colonization—Introduction” by
A. Anderson and S. O'Connor; “The pigs of Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific: New evidence for
taxonomic status and human-mediated dispersal” by K. Dobney, T. Cucchi and G. Larsen; and “Pacific
bananas: Complex origins, mulitiple dispersals?” by J. Kennedy.
O'REILLY, DOUGALD 2008. Multivallate sites and socio-economic change: Thailand and
Britain in their Iron Ages. Antiquity 82: 377-389.
PAUTREAU, JEAN-PIERRE (ed) 2007. Ywa Htin: Iron Age Burials in the Samon Valley,
Upper Burma. Mission Archeologique Francaise au Myanmar.
PAUTREAU, JEAN-PIERRE, ANNE-SOPHIE COUPEY, VALÉRY ZEITOUN and
EMMA RAMBAULT (eds) 2008. From Homo erectus to the Living Traditions: Choice of
Papers from the 11th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian
Archaeologist. Bougon: European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists.
Contents: “Characteristics and variation of the temporal bone pneumatization in Asian Homo
erectus” by A. Balzeau, D. Grimaud-Hervé and F. Sémah; “The Flores man: the phylogeny of a little
human” by V. Zeitoun, H. Widianto and T. Djubantono; “Discovery of new old material in the basaltic
region of Lampang (Northern Thailand): a techno-functional interpretation” by H. Forestier, V. Zeitoun, A.
Lenoble and Chaturaporn Tiamtinkrit; “Natural processes involved in the formation of Pleistocene bone
assemblages in continental South-East Asian caves: the case of the Cave of the Monk (Chiang Dao Wildlife
Sanctuary, Northern Thailand)” by A. Lenoble, V. Zeitoun, F. Laudet, A. Seveau and Tasana Doy Asa;
“Taphonomy and paleoecological significance of the Ailuropoda-Stegodon complex of Ban Fa Suai
(Northern Thailand)” by V. Zeitoun, A. Lenoble, F. Laudet, J. Thompson, W. J. Rink and Tasana Doy Asa;
“Hoabinhian and non-Hoabinhian” by S. Bowdler; “The Hoabinhian site of Huai Hin (Northern Thailand)”
by H. Forestier, V. Zeitoun, C. Maitay and Chinnawut Winayalai; “Human behavioural ecology and stone
artefacts in northwest Thailand during the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene” by B. Marwick; “Ban Non
Wat: the first five seasons” by C. Higham; “Dating Early Bronze at Ban Chiang, Thailand” by J.C. White;
“Iron Age cemetery site. Recent excavation in Krasang Thmei village, Banteay Meancheay province,
Cambodia” by Sok Keo Sovannara; “Sépultures des âges des métaux dans la vallée de la Samon,
Myanmar” by J.-P. Pautreau, A.-S. Coupey, P. Mornais, C. Maitay, E. Rambault, F. Pellé and Aung Aung
Kyaw; “Infant and child burials in the Samon valley, Myanmar” by A.-S. Coupey; “Iron Age ceramics of
the Samon valley, Myanmar” by C. Maitay; “Bronze axes of the Samon valley, Burma. A typological
classification attempt” by E. Rambault; “Towards a definition of technological styles in prehistoric copper
smelting in the Khao Wong Prachan Valley of central Thailand” by T.O. Pryce and V.C. Pigott; “Bronze
casting in protohistoric Southeast Asia, the technology and its origins” by A. Bennett; “Some western
imports assigned to the Oc Eo-Period reconsidered” by B. Borell; “Re-thinking Dvaravati” by A. Barram
and I. Glover; “Myanmar Archaeology: Tagaung and ‘Pyu’” by E. Moore; “The eleven khayaing of
Kyaukse: an example of territorial pattern and resources management in central Burma (Myanmar) during
the Pagan period (1044-1287)” by E. Berliet; “Territorial planning in Burma during the Pagan period
(1044-1287). The foundation of an empire” by E. Berliet; “A remarkable Ashtamahasthana stele from
Thailand” by D. Paul; “Connexion entre Cultures (L’ancien Champa et ses voisins)” by E. Guillon;
“L’époque dite décadente au Campā. Vers une réhabilitation des 14e-15e siècles” by A.-V. Schweyer;
“Masonry water management structures in Angkor: structure and significance” by R. Fletcher, C. Pottier
and W. Johnson; “Musical instruments of South Asian origin depicted on the reliefs at Angkor, Cambodia”
by R. Blench; “Bakong, soixante ans après” by C. Pottier, A. Bolle, E. Llopis, D. Soutif, Chea Socheat,
Heng Komsan, Phoeung Dara and Sum Sang; “Transformations in the landscapes of south-central Bali: An
archaeological investigation of early Balinese states – A brief report on the first two field seasons” by E.A.
Bacus and John Schoenfelder; “Archaeology of the Jambi Highlands (Indonesia)” by D. Bonatz; “Betel
boxes from Lanao Del Sur: A discussion on its origins” by C. Castillo; “Menhir in the exoticism of Toraja,
South Sulawesi: A living megalithic tradition” by R. Handini; “De l’Archéopalynologie à
l’Ethnobotanique. Analyse d’oléorésines anciennes et récentes d’Asie tropicale” by Bui Thi Mai and M.
Girard; “Preliminary test of pollen analysis from the archaeological site of Khao Sam Kaeo, southern
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Thailand” by Trongjai Hutangkura; “Preliminary results of SEM and lipids analysis of experimental taro
boiling residues from ceramics at lower temperatures” by Feng Ping Yang and R. J. March.
SHOOCONGDEJ, RASMI 2007. The impact of colonialism and nationalism in the
archaeology of Thailand. In Selective Remembrances, ed. by P. L. Kohl, M. Kozelsky and N.
Ben-Yehuda. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
WHITE, JOYCE C. and BOUNHEUANG BOUASISENGPASEUTH 2008. Archaeology of
the Middle Mekong: Introduction to the Luang Prabang province exploratory survey. In
Recherches nouvelles sur le Laos, ed. by Y. Goudineau and M. Lorrillard, pp. 37-52. Etudes
thematiques no. 18. Paris, Vientiane: EFEO.
JOURNAL & NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE HERITAGE JOURNAL is an open-access e-Journal recently launched by Singapore’s
National Heritage Board. It publishes research articles on the history, culture and the art practices
of Asia, with an emphasis on material culture, cultural resource management and museum
practice. As a Singapore-based publication, The Heritage Journal has a special focus on
Singapore and its surrounding region, but will address subjects with a wider Asian or global
relevance. In addition to full-length research articles, The Heritage Journal will publish
collection, conservation and exhibition notes and reviews, with the goal of fostering research in
areas of professional museum practice in the region.
The journal began life as Heritage, a publication of the Singapore National Museum in
1977, and has its roots in the Bulletin of the Raffles Museum which began publishing on
zoological subjects in 1936 and the Memoirs of the Raffles Museum, a series of monographs
which began publication in the 1950s. It has a multinational advisory board comprising of
academics and museum professionals from Singapore and the region.
The web site presents full text articles; see: epress.nus.edu.sg/nhb/index.php
The University of Sydney is in the process of launching a new INDONESIAN STUDIES
WORKING PAPERS series. The series is intended as an international forum for the circulation
of draft academic papers of publishable standard on Indonesia-related topics written in English or
Indonesian. Copyright of work remains with the author, and inclusion in the series does not
preclude publication elsewhere. If you wish to submit a paper for consideration, please send it by
email to the series editors, Michele Ford (michele.ford@arts.usyd.edu.au) and Keith Foulcher
(keith.foulcher@arts.usyd.edu.au).
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC STUDIES (IJAPS), an electronic
journal published by Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, is a scholarly, multidisciplinary,
internationally refereed publication focusing primarily on Asia (West, South, Southeast and East),
Australasia and the Pacific Rim regions of the Americas (North, Central and South). The
disciplines of interest encompass politics, history, indigenous languages and literature, religion,
man and the environment, ethno-history, anthropology, cultural heritage, socio-economic
development, war and conflict resolution, pre-history and archaeology, and the arts. IJAPS
undertakes to publish articles based on original research of the highest scholarship. Scheduled for
two issues per calendar year (May and November), each issue features articles and
announcements of academic-related events like workshops, seminars, conferences, etc.
IJAPS invites contributions of academic-oriented papers (between 10,000-12,000 words),
and welcomes brief notes (max. 500 words) on upcoming academic events (for example call for
papers, conferences, seminars, workshops, etc.), progress reports on research projects (max. 1000
42
words), and announcements of new publications). Contact person/website for further information
to be included in the announcement. Materials deemed inappropriate shall be rejected. For
further details, visit: www.usm.my/ijaps/
The JOURNAL OF LAO STUDIES (JLS) is an exciting new academic project which hopes to
become the first and most prestigious venue for researchers who work on Lao issues. The Journal
of Lao Studies is sorely needed in the field, as presently there are no scholarly journals or
University press series devoted to Lao Studies. Articles on Lao Studies are now published in
disparate journals in France, Australia, Thailand, and North America. As a result, scholars in the
field have a difficult time attempting to gather together all the various publications spread across
the globe in several languages. In addition, since most academic journals with an Asian focus are
primarily devoted to Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, or Vietnamese Studies, research based in or
on smaller countries is often ignored.
In Spring 2008, Dr Vinya Sysamouth, the Executive Director of the Center for Lao
Studies, brought together a number of enthusiastic and notable scholars from many countries to
draw up plans for the new journal. Drs Vatthana Pholsena and Justin McDaniel have agreed to be
the co-head editors of the journal, and will be writing submission guidelines, designing a stylesheet, and drafting by-laws over the next few months. Calls for articles, translations, and book
reviews for the first issue will begin in earnest in 2009. For updates on the journal, visit the
Center for Lao Studies’ website: www.laostudies.org/
The JOURNAL OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES moves to triannual publication in 2008. The
Journal of Vietnamese Studies, the world's only English-language scholarly journal devoted
exclusively to Vietnam politics, culture, history and society, will begin publishing three times a
year in 2008. The new publishing months for the journal will be February, June and October.
Since the publication of its first issue in November 2006, the journal has become a touchstone for
the Vietnamese Studies community. The expanded publication schedule will allow the journal to
better serve that community and will offer greater opportunity for Vietnam scholars to publish
their research. For more information, see: www.ucpressjournals.com/journal.asp?j=vs
KHAO CO HOC, Journal of the Institute of Archaeology in Viet Nam, has two series in English
out of its six series per year. This may provide readers with a better chance of keeping updated on
archaeological activities and results in Vietnam and abroad. For further details, to submit a paper,
or to offer to help in editing and review, please contact: tapchikhaoco@hotmail.com
CALL FOR PAPERS
ASIAN PERSPECTIVES (The Journal of Archaeology for Asia and the Pacific) is currently
soliciting manuscripts on Southeast and East Asian archaeology (prehistoric, historic,
bioarchaeological, ethnoarchaeological) for review. Asian Perspectives is the leading
archaeological journal devoted to the archaeology of Asia and the Pacific region. In addition to
archaeology, it features articles and book reviews on ethnoarchaeology, palaeoanthropology, and
physical anthropology. International specialists contribute regional reports summarizing current
research and fieldwork, and present topical reports of significant sites.
AP is especially interested in receiving manuscripts from our Southeast Asian and Asian
colleagues on recent work in their regions. Manuscripts are accepted for review throughout the
year. Please submit AP-formatted manuscripts to: Laura Junker, Asian Perspectives,
Department of Anthropology (M/C 027), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison
Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7139. For more information on AP (and information on issue
contents), consult the following URL: http://www.hawaii.edu/uhpress/journals/ap
43
The BULLETIN OF THE MUSEUM OF FAR EASTERN ANTIQUITIES invites original
manuscripts from scholars worldwide on all aspects of ancient and classical East Asia and
adjacent regions, including archaeology, art, and architecture; history and philosophy; literature
and linguistics; and related fields. Contributions seriously engaging contemporary critical thought
in the humanities and social sciences are especially welcome.
The BMFEA primarily publishes articles in English, and occasionally in other European
languages. Manuscripts are accepted for review in English, German, French, Japanese and
Chinese. Article manuscripts for general issues are reviewed continuously. There are also special
thematic issues with separate manuscript deadlines (see our webpage for the latest news). All
contributions are peer-reviewed. An electronic copy of articles, submitted together with
publication-quality illustrations, is required for final accepted versions. Author¹s instructions will
be sent on demand. E-mail correspondence is preferred. All manuscripts and enquiries should be
sent to the BMFEA Editor at: Box 16176, SE-103 24 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail:
BMFEA@ostasiatiska.se Web site: www.ostasiatiska.se
HUKAY, the journal of the Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, seeks
papers on archaeology, material culture, paleohistory, ethnoarchaeology, and cultural resource
management. The journal aims to promote the advancement of archaeological research in the
Philippines and in the Southeast Asian region. It is publish by the University of the Philippines
Press and comes out three times a year. All articles are reviewed by local and international
referees. For further details, please contact: The Editor, HUKAY, Archaeological Studies
Program, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines; or
email them to: mdbarretto@up.edu.ph
The JOURNAL OF INDIAN OCEAN ARCHAEOLOGY (JIOA) was launched in 2004 by the
Centre for Research and Training in History, Archaeology & Palaeo-environment (New Delhi) as
part of a broad initiative to investigate themes in the archaeology of the early Indian Ocean world.
The JIOA is published annually. Three issues of the journal are out and we are currently working
on the fourth number (JIOA 4).
The Indian Ocean rim is today the focus of high quality archaeological research. Since
the early nineties, a number of major coastal-settlements and ports have been excavated,
increasing dramatically our understanding of exchange and trade along the Indian Ocean rim.
Transmissions of botanical and animal domesticates have been traced along the Indian Ocean
rim; ancient harbours and trade routes identified on the ground; a range of exotic artefacts
recorded, and diffusions of techno-cultural traditions (art, watercraft, metallurgy) observed in the
material cultural record. We can now speak of Indian Ocean Archaeology as a specialization, like
Harappan Studies or Mediterranean Archaeology.
The Editors are seeking contributions for forthcoming issues of the Journal of Indian
Ocean Archaeology. The articles can be on any aspect of the history, archaeology and heritage of
the Indian Ocean world. For more information, queries and submissions please contact the
Editors at: iasnewdelhi@rediffmail.com; periplus@rediffmail.com
SIKSACAKR (the peer-reviewed journal of the Center for Khmer Studies) seeks papers for its
upcoming issues. Siksacakr welcomes articles related to Khmer & Southeast Asian Studies. All
articles must be written either in Khmer, English or French and should not exceed 6,500 words
(notes and references included). Articles are to be reviewed by the Editorial Committee, which
alone decides of their acceptance or not. Accepted articles are published in their original
language and translated into Khmer. For further information, contact the Editor-in-Chief: Michel
Rethy Antelme. Manuscripts may be submitted to: siksacakr@khmerstudies.org
44
For those wishing to write an electronic article, there is a new on-line version of
Siksacakr (published every six months). There is a maximum of 1000 words + references, and no
footnotes. Articles must be written either in Khmer, English or French, with a brief abstract (1
paragraph) in English. Manuscripts will be submitted for a review by the Editorial Committee,
which alone decides of their acceptance or not. Articles will be displayed in their original
language. Articles that have been accepted for on-line publication may eventually be resubmitted in a long version (up to 6,500 words) with footnotes and references. The manuscript
will again go through a peer-reviewed process. Contact the Editor-in-Chief: Michel Rethy
Antelme. Manuscripts may be submitted to: siksacakr@khmerstudies.org
Submissions are currently being sought for WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 41(3) on the theme: The
Archaeology of Buildings. The study of structural remains from an archaeological perspective is
now well-established. The purpose of this volume of World Archaeology is to bring to the fore
recent developments in the field. Papers are welcomed on a wide range of topics and themes,
including innovations in recording methodologies and technologies, new theoretical models for
interpreting the built environment, including social approaches to the household, social structure,
lifecycles and gender relationships, and current and developing ethical concerns relating to the
conservation, presentation and interpretation of buildings in the wider public arena. Global
comparative perspectives are invited alongside more localised case-studies and papers may
engage with both standing structures and excavated remains of any period of human history.
Submissions are due by January 2009 for publication in September 2009. For further
information, or to submit a paper, contact the editor of this issue: Andrew Reynolds at
a.reynolds@ucl.ac.uk
Submissions are currently being sought for WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 41(4) on the theme:
Debates in World Archaeology. Papers initiating or contributing to debates or discussions, or
papers offering comment, either in relation to papers previously published in World Archaeology
or to archaeological issues more generally. Submissions are due by May 2009 for publication in
December 2009. For further information, or to submit a paper, contact the editor of this issue:
Gabriel Cooney at gabriel.cooney@ucd.ie
Submissions are currently being sought for WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 42(1) on the theme:
Agricultural Innovation. Innovation refers to the process of making improvements and/or
solving problems by introducing something new. In terms of farming this includes new
techniques (e.g. animal traction, ploughing, milling), new practices (e.g. irrigation, terracing), and
new or altered animals and crops (new breeds, new varieties). A key issue in archaeology is when
do such innovations arise? What cultural, social and/or economic conditions stimulate such
change? Can we recognize situations where agricultural innovation was not taken up or was
actively discouraged? Can we identify whether innovation was born out of necessity, or where
tradition works against innovation? And what is the long-term impact of these innovations – do
they work as the catalyst for bigger changes, and if so, which ones? Papers addressing aspects of
this topic, either theoretical issues or practical case studies, are invited. Submissions are due by
May 2009 for publication in March 2010. For further information, or to submit a paper, contact
the editor of this issue: Marijke van der Veen at mvdv1@le.ac.uk
Submissions are currently being sought for WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 42(2) on the theme:
Humans and Animals. The study of animals in archaeology is currently in the process of
conquering new ground, and new theoretical approaches are emerging. The purpose of this
volume of World Archaeology is to reveal both the range and the significance of this work.
Papers are invited concerning any region or period on such topics as, for example, animals and
45
identity construction, cosmological perspectives on animals and the environment, ontological
perceptions of animals, integration of social life and economy both in terms of practice and of
belief, and the relationship between humans and animals as part of wider human-environment
interactions. Submissions are due by September 2009 for publication in June 2010. For further
information, or to submit a paper, contact the editor of this issue: Lotte Hedeager at
lotte.hedeager@iakh.uio.no
Submissions are currently being sought for WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY 42(3) on the theme:
Archaeology and Contemporary Society. Why the past matters, and its cultural relevance
alongside immediate concerns such as healthcare and the economy, are questions archaeologists
have often faced from sceptics. Heritage is now a central tenet of sustainable development, and of
the strategies and frameworks that many governments have signed up to, but not everyone
directly associates heritage with archaeology: the value of heritage does not necessarily imply the
cultural relevance of archaeology. This volume invites papers exploring the relevance of
archaeology in contemporary society through the full range of examples and situations. In an age
when concern for climate change and the depletion of oil reserves dominate the political, social
and economic agenda, why should society continue to invest in the past? Why should our
archaeological resources continue to be protected for the benefit of future generations? Is it true
that archaeology has a particular role to perform in predicting future change, on the basis of what
happened in the past? Is it essential that we understand the past in order to create sustainable
futures? And in this context, are some archaeologies more relevant than others? Or is it simply
that the past matters more in terms of wider social issues such as cultural identity? Using case
studies and perspectives from around the world, this volume will seek answers to fundamental
questions about why the past matters and to whom. Submissions are due by January 2010 for
publication in September 2010. For further information, or to submit a paper, contact the editor
of this issue: John Schofield at John.Schofield@english-heritage.org.uk
OTHER PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
The ANU E Press (http://epress.anu.edu.au), the digital imprint of the Australian National
University is offering a range of scholarly texts from the ANU academic community that can be
downloaded for free. Among these are: Bellwood, P., Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian
Archipelago; O’Connor, S., Spriggs, M. and Veth, P., The Archaeology of the Aru Islands,
Eastern Indonesia; and Bellwood, P., Fox, J. F. and Tryon, D., The Austronesians (and other
books from the Comparative Austronesian Series).
Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient – contents of back issues (currently issues from
1901-2003), are available free on-line at: www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/revue/befeo
[Note: Back issues of other scientific journals, including anthropology and archaeology journals, are also
available for free on this website: www.persee.fr/web/guest/home.]
Fishbones and Glittering Emblems: Southeast Asian Archaeology 2002 (Proceedings of the
European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists' 9th International Conference, Sigtuna,
Sweden, May 27–June 2, 2002), ed. by A. Karlström and A. Källén, is available for purchase
from: The Museum Shop, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Box 16381, 103 27 Stockholm,
Sweden; email: www.ostasiatiska.se, tel: +46-8-519 557 50, fax: +46-8-519 557 55. The price is
250 SEK (= ca. 25 euro) plus shipping.
46
The University of the Philippines Press archaeology publications may be ordered by contacting
asp@up.edu.ph and placing "Publications Staff" in the subject line. The staff will then confirm
the order and ask you to arrange payment appropriately. Among the publications available are:
W.G. Solheim II 2002 The Anthropology of Central Philippines: A Study Chiefly of the Iron
Age and its Relationships ($60.00 cloth, $40.00 paper); Hukay (Journal of the University of the
Philippines Archaeological Studies Program) (2001 issues onwards, $8.00 per issue); A.S.B.
Mijares 2002 The Minori Cave Expedient Lithic Technology ($10.00); J.G. Cayron 2006
Stringing the Past: An Archaeological Understanding of Early Southeast Asian Glass Bead
Trade ($10.00); Proceedings of the Society of Philippine Archaeologists Manila: Katipunan
Arkeologist ng Pilpinas ($17.50 per issue); and test pit (Chronicle of the University of the
Philippines Archaeological Studies Program) ($5.00 per issue).
47