Ban Non Wat, Archaeology of

Introduction

Ban Non Wat is one of the many moated prehistoric sites that concentrate in the basin of the Mun River in Northeast Thailand (Higham & Kijngam 2009, 2011, 2012a & b; Higham 2011a & b; Higham et al. 2011). It is a key site for understanding the later prehistory of Southeast Asia for three principal reasons. A large area has been excavated over ten seasons. It has revealed a long and continuous sequence of occupation, and it has been dated on the basis of 76 radiocarbon determinations that have been subjected to Bayesian analysis.

Definition

This site is unique in Southeast Asia for the clarity and length of its prehistoric cultural sequence and the size of the analyzed material. There are 12 phases that begin with hunter-gatherers, followed by 2 Neolithic, 6 Bronze Age, and 3 stages of Iron Age occupation, each associated with human burials.

Key Issues

There are two key issues that dominate the interpretation and wider relevance of Ban Non Wat. The first is the application...