A Diachronic Analysis of Social Organization in the Mun River Valley (original) (raw)
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COMMUNITY BASED ARCHAEOLOGY: SOCIAL SPACE, PLANT USE, AND HETERARCHY IN THAILAND
Graduate School, Washington State University, 2023
Do local communities perceive their world hierarchically? Is there enough community-based archaeological research on space and plants in Thailand? Why is it important to apply community-based archaeology to look at temple spatial arrangement and psychoactive plant consumption? This dissertation examines how community-based research on Buddhist temple spaces and betel nut chewing can offer another perspective on social and religious worldview, sociopolitical complexity, and the use of psychoactive plants in Thailand. This dissertation is composed of archaeological studies of sociopolitical spaces of Buddhist temples and a residue analysis of dental calculus. The first study explores the space syntax analytical methods and uses them to study temple spatial arrangements. I identified two spatial systems, conventional/correspondence (a hierarchical form of space) and nonconventional/noncorrespondence (a non-hierarchical form of space), suggesting diverse social and communal activities were practiced at the temples where they were seen not only as a sacred space but were also used as a commonplace. The second study integrates the Geographical Information System (GIS) analyses to look at 49 temples. I highlight social vii heterarchy as a concept for interpreting the spatial network, relationships, and interactions to shed light on the social worldviews and sociopolitical complexity. Both space syntax and GIS analyses suggest the complex relationship and interaction between various historical Chiang Saen social groups within temple spaces can be seen as heterarchy (more common), which was practiced alongside hierarchy (more restricted) from the 13th to 17th century. Finally, for the third study, I conducted residue analysis to extract arecoline, a biochemical compound, from the dental calculus from six human remains buried at Nong Ratchawat ca. 4,000 years ago. Results from one individual suggest that the betel nut plants might have been used and consumed for various purposes. From this study, we can also say that the plants were commonly used in Southeast Asia around 4,000 years ago. Throughout this dissertation, I demonstrate innovative ways of applying systematic methods, analyses, and data evaluation to highlight the community-based research and demonstrate how vital the communal/heterarchical point of view on spatial movement, social interaction, and plant use was among the local communities in Thailand.
Bioarchaeology International, 2020
The rise of social inequality is a key development in human history and is linked to deteriorating health. These associated health impacts are poorly understood for Iron Age (420 B.C.-A.D. 500) northeast Thailand. To clarify this issue we investigate whether social status differences influence non-specific stress at the site of Non Ban Jak (A.D. 300-800), which comprises two separate burial mounds. These mounds are thought to represent the neighborhoods of two distinct social groups at the site. Quantitative analyses were used to explore differences in grave goods among the adults of Non Ban Jak (N = 47). Long bone lengths, ages at death, and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) were examined to explore differences in non-specific stress on the basis of age, sex, burial mound, and mortuary phase. Results demonstrated that older adults of both sexes, males of all ages, and west mound individuals received greater grave good quantities and may therefore have been of higher social status. West mound individuals were taller and had a lower prevalence of LEH compared to those from the east mound. Although female LEH prevalence and mortality were reduced relative to males, decreasing stature over time and high neonatal mortality indicated greater female stress. Lower-status individuals may therefore have suffered increased stress relative to those of higher status. Artifactual and epigraphic evidence supports the suggestion of sex-and class-based status differences at Non Ban Jak, legitimized and perpetuated through the adoption of residential burial and new religious ideologies.
Spatial and social variables in the Bronze Age Phase 4 cemetery of Ban Non Wat, Northeast Thailand
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2015
The twelve occupation and mortuary phases at the prehistoric site of Ban Non Wat in Northeast Thailand began with late hunter-gatherers in the early 2nd millennium BC and ended with the late Iron Age in about AD 500. There are five Bronze Age mortuary phases, dating to between 1050 and 430 BC. These began with burials of exceptional wealth, but by the fourth phase, graves were markedly poorer. The 162 burials of phase 4 appear visually to form distinct groups and in the initial publication of this site, no differences between the compositions of the mortuary offerings between the five putative groups were noted. In this paper, we first conduct exploratory statistical analyses to test for the validity of spatial patterning within the cemetery, and identify four groups of burials. This is followed by the application of multinomial logistic regression to test for significant differences between them. It is concluded that three artefact classes, ceramic vessels, bivalve shells and shell beads, distinguish between the identified groups. Each of these is evaluated to clarify the subtleties of possible social distinctions in a cemetery hitherto seen as uniform.
2013
CHAPTER 1: The Creation and Character of Urban Communities 1 CHAPTER 2: The Environmental and Cultural Foundations of the Dvaravati 27 CHAPTER 3: The Dvaravati Culture 79 CHAPTER 4: Dvaravati Urban Landscapes CHAPTER 5: Archaeological Investigations at Kamphaeng Saen CHAPTER 6: The Political, Economic and Sacred Landscapes of Kamphaeng Saen 282 CHAPTER 7: Dvaravati Urbanism in Comparative Perspective Appendices 332 Bibliography 687 viii List of Figures 2.1. Physiographic regions of Thailand 2.2. Distribution of Significant Ore Deposits in the vicinity of central and northeast Thailand 2.3. Prehistoric hunter-gatherer sites mentioned in the text 2.4. Neolithic sites mentioned in the text 46 2.5. Bronze Age sites mentioned in the text 2.6. Iron weapons from Tham Ongbah 2.7. Iron tools from Ban Pong Manao 55 2.8. Iron Age sites mentioned in the text 57 2.9. Distribution of Dong Son drums and Sa Huynh ornaments in Thailand 2.10. Dvaravati period metal earrings or pendants from Chansen 2.11 Nephrite Sa Huynh-style bicephalous pendant from Ban Don Ta Phet 2.12. Dong Son drum from Ku Bua 63 2.13. Ban Kao boat coffins 65 2.14 Plan Views of Iron Age moated sites in northeast Thailand drawn from SPOT satellite images 3.1. Principle Dvaravati sites and other contemporaneous sites mentioned in the text 3.2. Silver coin or medallion inscribed with the phrase "sridvaravati svarapunya" or "meritorious act of the King of Dvaravati" in the Pallava script, from Ku Bua 3.3. Bronze Buddha from U-Thong, Stupa No. 11, displaying South Asian stylistic conventions with local facial features 3.4. Dharmachakras, a pillar and socle 88 3.5. Typical Dvaravati bricks 3.6. Stucco sculpture of "dwarves" and decorative motifs at the base of the Khao Klang Nai monument, Sri Thep 6.1. Old and broken spirit shrines and religious statues deposited at Kamphaeng Saen xiii List of Tables 3.1. Types of Dvaravati Buddhist structures and monuments 4.1. Distribution of dharmachakras within the settlement hierarchy of moated Dvaravati sites 158 5.1. Absolute Frequencies of vessel-classes by excavation area 5.2. Relative Frequencies of vessel-classes across excavation areas 5.3. Relative Frequencies of vessel-classes by excavation areas 5.4. Frequency and Density of Faunal Remains by Excavation Unit 5.5. AMS radiocarbon dates from KSAP excavation units 6.1. Estimates of population density of prehistoric settlements in Southeast Asia 7.1. Site-sizes and locations of selected first millennium CE centers in mainland Southeast Asia (from Stark 2006:Table 1 with modifications to the Dvaravati data) xiv
Social complexity in Mainland Southeast Asia largely occurs in the archaeological record in the form of transegalitarian differential wealth across mortuary contexts during the Bronze Age (c. 1500 – 500 BC) after a period of comparatively egalitarian distribution of wealth in the Neolithic (c. 2000 – 1500 BC). Thereafter, the prevalence of social stratification and entrenched hierarchies appear to have intensified during the Iron Age (c. 500 BC – 500 AD) with the rise of complex prehistoric chiefdoms vis-à-vis the expansion of Chinese influence into North Vietnam, as well as the emergence of a maritime trading network between China and the Mediterranean world through Southeast Asia and India. The rapid ascent of social-political ranking over a largely unstratified system of social organization in the Bronze Age paved the way for the rise of Funan, the earliest documented Southeast Asian polity, during the late Iron Age. By the 6th century AD, a network of walled cities, brick temples, extensive canals, a writing system, monumental architecture and statuary have already been in place on the Mekong Delta for a few centuries. The proposed paper will examine and define the material processes underlying this important phase of intensified political development and social complexity by identifying and analysing variation and distribution patterns in the production and consumption of burial ceramics from three late Iron Age mortuary sites in Northwest Cambodia – Phum Sophy, Phum Lovea and Prei Khmeng – through the theoretical lens of the political economy. Patterns derived from these sites will be compared with those established from existing ceramic typologies at contemporaneous sites principally in Thailand, but also in consideration of other Iron Age sites in Mainland Southeast Asia for a regional perspective. In doing so, the proposed paper will attempt to establish a firm correlation between these patterns and differential social status in the milieu of increasing social complexity, thereby demonstrating the capacity and potential of archaeological ceramics in understanding the social dynamics and mechanisms involved in the evolution of complex societies in prehistory. *Presented at the 2nd SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology, 30 May – 2 June 2016, Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand **Panel 2: Ceramic Production Technology and Trade Networks. Convened by Atthasit Sukkham, Dr. Sharon Wong Wai Yee and Tep Sokha
Antiquity, 2014
The evolution of increasingly hierarchical societies in Northeast Thailand has been discussed in the past but the motivating factors for this transformation remain elusive. This paper presents an examination of data from the Bronze and Iron Ages of Northeast Thailand with special reference to sites surrounded by channels and embankments. There continues to be considerable debate over the function of these channels, with defense, flood control, aquaculture, symbolism, and water storage for agricultural purposes all being presented as potential objectives. The author argues that the channels were constructed under the direction of emergent elites and were utilized as water storage devices. It is demonstrated that the channels retain sufficient water to irrigate rice fields during times of environmental stress to feed the estimated prehistoric populations of these sites. The author goes on to argue that the channels were instrumental in the elite's establishment of enduring hierarchies in the region and that they were used to leverage the populace to produce a surplus to support the elite's retinue and served to entrench hierarchical order through the Iron Age and beyond.
1997
The article presents one of the montagnard societies of Thailand, the Hmong, and considers the traditional and the modern patterns of wealth. A set of observations of the visible signs of wealth in one village is further developed by a detailed appraisal of the economic performance for the year 1991. A synthesis of data reveals that within the context of a more and more complete integration with the market economy and the increasing monetarization of exchanges, the maintenance, and even the augmentation, of household wealth seems to be tied to the ownership of the means of production to the detriment of the customary cooperation within the lineage. The possessors of these means grow well-off-or, at least, have the means to do so-while those lacking them are, at best, in a phase of economic stagnation which mutual help cannot suffice to overcome. The result is necessarily a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.
Environmental and Social Change in Northeast Thailand during the Iron Age
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2019
The Iron Age of Mainland Southeast Asia began in the fifth century BC and lasted for about a millennium. In coastal regions, the development of trade along the Maritime Silk Road led to the growth of port cities. In the interior, a fall in monsoon rains particularly affected the Mun River valley. This coincided with the construction of moats/reservoirs round Iron Age settlements from which water was channelled into wet rice fields, the production of iron ploughshares and sickles, population growth, burgeoning exchange and increased conflict. We explore the social impact of this agricultural revolution through applying statistical analyses to mortuary samples dating before and after the development of wet rice farming. These suggest that there was a swift formation of social elites represented by the wealth of mortuary offerings, followed by a decline. Two associated changes are identified. The first involved burying the dead in residential houses; the second considers the impact of an increasingly aquatic environment on health by examining demographic trends involving a doubling of infant mortality that concentrated on neonates. A comparison between this sequence and that seen in coastal ports suggests two interconnected instances of rapid pathways to social change responding to different social and environmental stressors.