The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor (Cambridge World Archaeology) [Paperback]

Charles Higham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 1989 | ISBN-10: 0521275253 | ISBN-13: 978-0521275255

Southeast Asia was the scene of one of the world's major civilisations, that of Angkor, until it was sacked in the early fifteenth century. The origins of Angkor were barely known until recent archaeological excavation and field research began to reveal the region's dynamic development and to raise new questions to serve in its understanding. This important new synthesis focuses on the social world of early mainland Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Kampuchea, Laos and adjacent areas. The book begins when the area was occupied 12,000 years ago by hunters and gatherers. The author stresses the importance of sedentism and domestication. These encouraged the spread of coastal communities into the interior valleys. Particular relevance is seen in the exchange of valuables, including bronze, as symbols of status. The origins of civilisation, for long assumed to result from Indian expansion in the region, are seen as rooted in local changes, along with the selective adoption of Indian religious and political ideas within coastal cheifdoms. In bridging the gap between prehistory and history, this book will appeal not only to archaeologists but to those interested in the general history, culture and arts of Asia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"We now, at last, have a balanced and authoritative view of the prehistory of the mainland of Southeast Asia, presented by an author who must be regarded as one of the most experienced archaeologists now working in the region. . . Higham has done the discipline a great service, and this book deserves a wide readership. It would be very hard, using current knowledge, to improve upon it." Peter Bellwood, The Quarterly Review of Archaeology

"An important contribution to the prehistory and history of mainland Southeast Asia." Choice

Book Description

The importance of sedentism and domestication in the development of civilization is stressed through this study of the hunter and gatherer societies occupying early mainland Southeast Asia 12,000 years ago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 26, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521275253
• ISBN-13: 978-0521275255
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,516,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia, August 17, 2003

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor (Cambridge World Archaeology) (Paperback)

This is really two books in one. Its first two hundred pages are about the prehistory of Southeast Asia, up to the emergence of chiefdoms towards the end of the first millennium B.C. An additional one hundred fifty pages take the story forward, from the beginning of state formation and written history through the development (but excluding the art history) of Angkor.

Prospective readers should be aware that this is a technical book that is directed to a specialist audience, namely, archaeologists and archaeology students; people who do not fit into either of those categories, may find that the book is too difficult or has more detail than they want.

On the other hand, people who are in the book's target audience as described above, should find the book generally suitable as a synopsis of mainland Southeast Asian archaeology (excluding Burma), circa 1989. Detailed site information is presented within a framework whose themes include sedentism, trade, subsistence, social organization, religion and ritual, and access to resources. Continuity of cultural development in Southeast Asia is emphasized, and in particular the origin of civilization in Southeast Asia is seen as a consequence of local and incremental adaptations to Indian religious and political ideas, rather than as a wholesale replacement of indigenous cultural practices by Indian ones.

My paperback copy bears the notice: "Transferred to Digital Reprinting 1999". The book is entirely in black-and-white. The visual appearance of its text is glossy and saturated, but readable. Line drawings show up very well. The quality of photographic reproduction, however, is unacceptable (the same or worse as one might see in a newspaper). However, since its few photographs seem incidental to the text in any case, this need not discourage people from buying the book in its current, "digital reprint", incarnation.