Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?

We have dated human bone, freshwater shell, charcoal and rice grains from key sites in mainland Southeast Asia in order to establish the chronological scaffolding for later prehistory (ca 2500 BC-AD 500). In a recent report on the metal remains from the site of Ban Chiang, however, this chronology h...

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Main Authors: Higham, C, Higham, T, Douka, K
Format: Journal article
Published: Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 2019
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author Higham, C
Higham, T
Douka, K
author_facet Higham, C
Higham, T
Douka, K
author_sort Higham, C
collection OXFORD
description We have dated human bone, freshwater shell, charcoal and rice grains from key sites in mainland Southeast Asia in order to establish the chronological scaffolding for later prehistory (ca 2500 BC-AD 500). In a recent report on the metal remains from the site of Ban Chiang, however, this chronology has been challenged. Here, we respond to these claims and show that they are unfounded and misleading. We maintain the integrity of the Bayesian-modelled radiocarbon results that identify the arrival of the first rice and millet farmers in mainland Southeast Asia towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC, with the first evidence for the casting of bronze by about 1100 BC. Social change that followed the establishment of metallurgy was rapid and profound.
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spelling oxford-uuid:3a3d1c87-60cd-4c7d-945d-82633f651e9c2022-03-26T14:00:22ZDating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:3a3d1c87-60cd-4c7d-945d-82633f651e9cSymplectic Elements at OxfordIndo-Pacific Prehistory Association2019Higham, CHigham, TDouka, KWe have dated human bone, freshwater shell, charcoal and rice grains from key sites in mainland Southeast Asia in order to establish the chronological scaffolding for later prehistory (ca 2500 BC-AD 500). In a recent report on the metal remains from the site of Ban Chiang, however, this chronology has been challenged. Here, we respond to these claims and show that they are unfounded and misleading. We maintain the integrity of the Bayesian-modelled radiocarbon results that identify the arrival of the first rice and millet farmers in mainland Southeast Asia towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC, with the first evidence for the casting of bronze by about 1100 BC. Social change that followed the establishment of metallurgy was rapid and profound.
spellingShingle Higham, C
Higham, T
Douka, K
Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title_full Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title_fullStr Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title_full_unstemmed Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title_short Dating the bronze age of Southeast Asia. Why does it matter?
title_sort dating the bronze age of southeast asia why does it matter
work_keys_str_mv AT highamc datingthebronzeageofsoutheastasiawhydoesitmatter
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AT doukak datingthebronzeageofsoutheastasiawhydoesitmatter