Dramatic new archaeological discoveries over the past ten years demand a new look at Thailand’s past. Drawing on their previous work, Prehistoric Thailand, this substantially updated book covers the history of the Kingdom from the first human settlement to the earliest civilisations and gives a fresh appraisal of the early hunters and gatherers, and of the origins of the first rice farmers.
A new chronology reveals the dynamic social changes that came with the Bronze Age, and the rapid advance to the foundation of early states that followed. The outstanding art of the Bronze Age, as seen in painted ceramic vessels a thousand years earlier than those from 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. Most of all, the authors present the rich cultural heritage of the Thai people.