The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia [Paperback]

Some claim the earliest bronze working in the world occurred in South-east Asia; others dispute this. This book is an up-to-date account the Bronze Age of South-east Asia, exploring the controversy in depth.Suggesting that the adoption of metallurgy in Southeast Asia followed a period of growing exchange with China, this study traces the development of Bronze Age cultures in the region. It identifies regionality and innovation, as well as how and why distinct cultures developed.Suggesting that the adoption of metallurgy in Southeast Asia followed a period of growing exchange with China, this study traces the development of Bronze Age cultures in the region. It identifies regionality and innovation, as well as how and why distinct cultures developed.This book addresses the controversy over the origins of the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. Charles Higham provides a systematic and regional presentation of the current evidence. He suggests that the adoption of metallurgy in the region followed a period of growing exchange with China. Higham then traces the development of Bronze Age cultures, identifying regionality and innovation, and suggesting how and why distinct cultures developed. This book is the first comprehensive study of the period, placed within a broader comparative framework.1. Introduction; 2. The discovery of the Bronze Age; 3. The neolithic of South-east Asia and China; 4. Central Thailand; 5. The Mekong Valley; 6. The Red and Zijang River valleys and coastal Vietnam; 7. The Yunnan Plateau; 8. External relationships of the South-east Asian Bronze Age: China, India and Island South-east Asia; 9. Discussion and conclusions. An indispensable work for those interested in archaeology at all levels. C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky, Choice Higham is to be congratulated for having integrated an enormous amount of data, based on over two decades of fieldwork in eastern and northeastern Thailand, as well as extensive travels in Southeast Asia and China, into one very rel£"