| Notes: |
Description: Thailand occupies a unique crossroad in Southeast Asia. The Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers link the interior of China with the sea and the Three Pagodas Pass reaches west to India. Through the ages, this central position has brought many different peoples and ideas to Thailand and, as a result of recent excavations, a pattern to the settlement of Thailand is now emerging. Charles Higham and Rachanie Thosarat interweave text and colour illustrations, many previously unpublished, t trace the development of early Thai societies, from the early hunter gatherers of the inland forest and the coastal waters to the glittering civilisation of Sukhothai. Using new research they describe how the first bronzes were cast in village communities such as Ban Chiang. A major change took place from about 500 BC when iron came in to use, chiefdoms developed and trade opened up to ideas and goods from India and China. Iron age chiefs, whose wealth is evident in the silver, gold, agate, and carnelian ornaments found in their burial chambers, laid the foundations for the civilization of Angkor and Dvaravati states, the origins of modern Thailand. Prehistoric Thailand fuses Western and Thai source materials and research to present a unique overview of the development of societies in this vibrant country.
|
