| Abstract: |
The site of Khao Sam Kaeo, located 5 km from the coast in Southern Thailand, was subject to sea-level changes during the Holocene. It is therefore interesting to trace the palaeo-environment of this coastal area. Our study focuses on the regrowth of vegetation coastal to herbal plants which followed the coastal line evolution. Archaeologically, the site, located in the Malay Peninsula, is also considered one of the most important settlements, thanks to its situation on the maritime trade route connecting India to China around 2,000 BP. We are thus interested in seeing how environmental change helped shape human socioeconomic development. Preliminary results show that sediments sampled in the site are poor in pollen. However, sediments from palaeo-channels are richer, containing mangrove pollen (RHIZOPHORACEAE) and grass and weed herbal pollen (GRAMINEAE, CYPERACEAE, AMARANTHACEAE). According to the geological study of Holocene sea-level change, it can be shown that around 2500 BP some areas of Khao Sam Kaeo were occupied by a mangrove forest. After the fall in sea-level, the mangrove forest was replaced by its present-day marsh of grass and weed.
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