Ban Chiang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ban Chiang pottery in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem

Ban Chiang (Thai บ้านเชียง) is an archeological site located in Nong Han district, Udon Thani Province, Thailand, at 17°32′55″N, 103°21′30″E. It is listed in the UNESCO world heritage list since 1992.

Discovered in 1957 it attracted enormous publicity due to attractive red painted pottery. The first scientific excavation was made in 1967 and uncovered several skeletons together with bronze grave gifts. Rice fragments have also been found, which prove that the bronze age settlement was made by farmers. The oldest graves found contain no bronze and are therefore from a neolithic culture; the latest ones are from the iron age.

The first dates of the artifacts using the thermoluminescence technique resulted in 4420 BC-3400 BC dates, which would have made the site the earliest ever bronze age culture of the world. However with the 1974/75 excavation enough material for radiocarbon dating became available, which resulted in much later dates - the earliest grave was about 2100 BC, the latest about AD 200. Bronze making began circa 2000 BC, as evidenced by crucibles and bronze fragments. Bronze objects include bracelets, rings, anklets, wires and rods, spearheads, axes and adzes, hooks, blades, and little bells.