Hoabinhian Rocks: An examination of Guar Kepah Artifacts from the Heritage Conservation Centre in Jurong

Abstract

This thesis presents an inquiry into the nature of certain Hoabinhian-related artifacts stored at the Heritage Conservation Centre in Singapore. It aims to deal with the legacy of colonial era excavations. Since some theories about the contingency of the Hoabinhian as an archaeological grouping are derived from older excavations, particularly from the colonial-era, it would also make sense to see what strengths and weaknesses these colonial-era excavations hold, and to see whether or not we are still able to use their data to pursue new avenues of research today. This thesis also aims to evaluate the appropriateness of extending ?present day? ethnographic analogies into the past by using ?Hoabinhian? artifacts at the HCC as a case study. At another level of analysis, this thesis also explores the nuances of the interpretive role that an archaeologist trained in another region has in interpreting material culture from Southeast Asia.