Earthenware in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Earthenware is the most important material in Southeast Asian archaeology, yet there has been little published work aimed at understanding and dating earthenware artifacts and materials on a regional basis. A framework for understanding earthenware would help enormously in creating a more nuanced image of the cultural history of pre- and early historic Southeast Asia. This volume draws together essays from Southeast Asia's top archaeologists, and includes contributions from every country in the region. In addition to providing a baseline of information on what is known of earthenware across the region, strong analytical work here yields new understandings: of the origins of the prehistoric tripod vessels of the Malayan Peninsula, and the role of earthenware from a kiln site in southern Thailand in the regional trade of the 11th to 14th centuries, among other subjects. Though we are still some way from being able to write a textbook on the earthenware of Southeast Asia, this volume is an important step towards such a synthesis. It is fully illustrated with diagrams, photographs, illustrations and maps.