Footed jar with flaring neck

A Bronze-Age Site in Thailand

The prehistoric site of Ban Chiang in northeast Thailand, first excavated in 1967, brought to light one of the earliest Bronze Age cultures in Southeast Asia. Archaeological remains from different levels in the soil indicate that the site has been inhabited for thousands of years.

Ban Chiang is best known for red-on-buff painted pottery vessels, which were found only in the uppermost (least ancient) layers of soil. Lower layers revealed a great variety of equally distinctive pottery. The oldest are probably the black or dark gray burnished and incised pieces. In burials, more than twenty types of vessels of various sizes were placed on top of the skeletons, below the legs, or above the head. In some periods the vessels had been intentionally crushed when placed near the deceased; in others they had been left intact. 

Other artifacts uncovered from burial sites suggest a highly developed metal industry. Both male and female adult skeletons were adorned with bronze and iron jewelry such as bracelets and anklets. Beads, rollers, and wire necklaces were found only in the graves of children.

Archaeologists using advanced scientific methods can discover all sorts of interesting and important information about the past, such as where ancient people came from, what they ate, and how they died. The objects shown here were not excavated scientifically, so what they can tell us is incomplete. We don’t know how these objects were found or how they reached the art dealers who offered them for sale.