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Ref ID: 22891
Ref Type: Book Section
Authors: Auetrakulvit, Prasit
Forestier, Hubert
Khaokhiew, Chawalit
Zeitoun, Valéry
Title: New excavation at Moh Khiew site, southern Thailand
Date: 2012
Source: Crossing borders: selected papers from the 13th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists
Place of Publication: Singapore
Publisher: NUS Press
Abstract: Originally excavated by Surin Pookajorn from 1991 to 1994, Moh Khiew site is a 30m long rock-shelter lying in the east-west direction situated close to a small freshwater lagoon at an elevation of 10m above sea level in Krabi province in southern Thailand. This site provided exceptional information due to the depth of its stratigraphy, including five different cultural levels from the “Late Palaeolithic” with Hoabinhian unifacial cobble tools to the “Late Neolithic” with stone adzes. Several thousand remains of animal bones but also human burials provide information concerning the evolution of funereal practices and the way of life of the prehistoric people of southern Thailand. A new excavation undertaken in 2008 aimed to clarify the dating and the sequence of the grave typological evolution through the time. Thus, opposed to the classic model with extended burials described from southern China to southern Southeast Asia succeeded in the flexed burials, at Moh Khiew site, both kinds of burial seem to be present at the same time period. Concerning the technological analysis of the stone tools two main different kinds of tools were produced according to the raw material choice done by the prehistoric knappers. Thick unifacial cobble tools (limaces) are made from blocks of shert or silicified limestone while classic sumatraliths are made from river cobbles during the same period illustrating for the first time a diversified Hoabinhian tool-kit which allows us to discuss the technical behavior of the prehistoric people in tropical forest environment.
Date Created: 9/17/2013
Editors: Tjoa-Bonatz, Mai Lin
Reinecke, Andreas
Bonatz, Dominik
Volume: 1
Page Start: 60
Page End: 70