Early Mainland Southeast Asia: From First Humans to Angkor

This synthesis of the latest archaeological discoveries in Southeast Asia begins with the early hunter gatherers and concludes with the early states, with particular reference to Angkor. There has been a proliferation of new ideas and interpretations with the progressive archaeology and excavation of these sites. Rice farming is now documented in the Yangzi Valley, before it spread south; copper and bronze casting is seen as an extension via China, of a process that began in the Near East. In conjunction with his own excavations in Northeast Thailand, Charles Higham reviews the important culture of the Iron Age that gave rise to these early civilizations. This book is the only up-to-date account of the ancient cultures of a diverse and geographically expansive area and is a unique compendium, essential for all those interested in this region.