Paper short abstract:

The 2011-2014 Thai-French Archaeological Mission has resulted in three main archaeometallurgical advances: 1) a multi-nodal network for ‘Indian’ high-tin bronze bowls, 2) ancient fakes of ‘Dongson’ drums and 3) a possible revision to the Thai Bronze Age’s southern boundary.

Paper long abstract:

The archaeometallurgical programme of the 2011-2014 Thai-French Archaeological Mission in the Thai-Malay Peninsula has resulted in three main interpretational advances; despite the relatively low number of artefacts found and studied.

Firstly, an assemblage of 'Indian' high-tin bronze bowls from the Iron Age settlement at Khao Sek and neighbouring sites provides additional isotopic clustering and matches with examples known from elsewhere in Southeast Asia, indicating a multi-nodal production and exchange network for these important elements of exogenous material culture.

Secondly, a 'Dongson' drum found at Khao Sek would appear to fit the well-known narrative of early Iron Age contact with northern Vietnam. However, the physical and chemical characteristics of the artefact are not consistent with typical Dongson drums, and indeed suggest the Khao Sek example maybe a poorly executed copy made using copper from central Laos.

Thirdly, Peninsular Thailand has long been seen as following a separate historical trajectory to that of mainland Thailand, particularly as it was thought to transition straight from the Neolithic to the Metal Age c. 400 BC, as per the rest of maritime Southeast Asia. There is no doubting the Peninsula's strong maritime links but an axe found at Tham Than Nam Lot Yai may date to the Bronze Age. The stratigraphy is complex but the axe's context has been dated to 1261 to 1055 BC, which allowing for the 'old wood' affect for local hardwood species may indicate a mid-8th century BC Bronze Age boundary, as traditionally defined.