Archaeology Thailand
origins of Angkor
"
Over three seasons, nearly two hundred carefully buried skeletons, most of
which still wear jewellery, and hundreds of complete pots, as well as tons
of pottery, have been unearthed and studied carefully."
In early February, I returned to Phimai, Thailand for a week as an International Earthwatch volunteer, working in a team with Prof. Charles Higham on a huge prehistoric archaeological site. We worked with Thai and New Zealand academics and international experts on an Iron, Bronze Age, and Neolithic burial site in a present day rural village. Prof. Higham is from the University of Otago, New Zealand, as was the biological anthropologist (i.e. bone person), and Dr. James Chang, who studied jewellery from the graves. The geomorphologist (ancient landscapes) was Australian and the pottery specialist was American.
Higham is looking at early cultures in N.E. Thailand that date back long before the construction of Angkor.
Over three seasons, nearly two hundred carefully buried skeletons, most of which still wear jewellery, and hundreds of complete pots, as well as tons of pottery, have been unearthed and studied carefully. Everything we found was stored at the Dept. of Fine Arts in Phimai for further analysis.
Our dig, being in the dry season, gave local villagers an opportunity to participate and to be paid proper wages. Their involvement added much to our experience and understanding.
I myself, uncovered, lifted, emptied, cleaned and stuck together several Bronze Age pots that could very well be up to 3,500 years old. Other volunteers did different tasks. The volunteers were of all ages, coming from 3 continents which included enthusiastic staff from HSBC Asia offices.
Each evening, we had a short talk by an expert to put our finds in context. It was a fascinating time, working with very interesting people on an exciting project, with new discoveries.
There are many other environmental projects sponsored by the Earthwatch Institute. If you want to know more, see: www.earthwatch.org
To learn more about the pre history of the region, read the well illustrated “Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia” by Charles Higham. Published by River Books, Bangkok
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