| Abstract: |
This study synthesizes data from Neolithic to Iron Age Vietnam (4000–1900 BP) through the lens of the customary practice of tooth ablation. Its emergence, localization, and eventual transformation—whether into other forms of dental modification or into complete abandonment—closely correspond with successive cycles of interregional interaction and social transition. This local trajectory is then compared with neighboring regions, including Cambodia and Taiwan, revealing comparable yet contextually nuanced adaptations. The findings highlight tooth ablation as both a persistent marker of group affiliation and a flexible medium for negotiating identity. As such, it offers a powerful case through which to examine how embodied practices responded to, and were shaped by, broader dynamics of sociocultural change across prehistoric Southeast Asia. The results bring more attention to the roles of individual adornment choices and bodily expressions within the evolving environment of Southeast Asia since the Neolithic period.
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