Summary

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.