Ref ID:	28044
Ref Type:	Journal Article
Authors:	Higham, C. F. W. Higham, T. F. G. Douka, K
Title:	The chronology and status of Non Nok Tha, northeast Thailand
Date:	2014
Source:	Journal of Indo-Pacific Archaeology
DOI:	10.7152/jipa.v34i0.14719
Abstract:	Non Nok Tha was discovered 50 years ago, and has long been established as one of the key sites of Southeast Asian prehistory. Excavations by Bayard and Solheim in 1966 and 1968 uncovered what is still one of the largest assemblages of prehistoric burials in this region. It documents settlement by early Neolithic rice farmers, and incorporates the transition into the Bronze Age. Initial publications claimed exceptionally early copper base technology, and both the chronology and the social correlates of early agriculture and metallurgy have attracted much attention, and remain controversial. This paper presents a new series of AMS radiocarbon determinations obtained on collagen derived from the bones of those who lived at Non Nok Tha. These indicate an initial settlement phase by rice farmers that began in the mid second millennium BC. The Bronze Age cemetery dates between about 900-600 BC. The relatively few mortuary offerings in both phases suggest minimal social ranking.
Date Created:	2/9/2015
Volume:	34
Page Start:	61
Page End:	75