Early Thailand

Dramatic new archaeological discoveries over the past ten years demand a new look at Thailand’s past. Drawing on his previous work, Prehistoric Thailand, this book with over 40% new material, covers the history of the kingdom from the first human settlement to the earliest civilisation and gives a fresh appraisal of early hunters and gatherers, and of the rice farmers. A new chronology reveals the dynamic social changes of the Bronze Age, and the rapid rise of early states that followed. The outstanding art of the Bronze Age, as seen in painted ceramic vessels a thousand years earlier than those of Ban Chiang, is portrayed as is the wealth of Iron Age chiefs who contributed so much to the foundation of the Kingdoms of Angkor and Dvaravati. In the far south, we find early cities founded along the Southern Silk Road, bringing exotic ideas and goods through seaborne trade. Above all, the authors present the rich cultural heritage of the Thai people.