The Origins of the Civilisation of Angkor, Volume Seven: The Excavation of Non Ban Jak ed. by C.F.W. Higham and A. Kijngam

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Origins of the Civilisation of Angkor, Volume Seven: The Excavation of Non Ban Jak ed. by C.F.W. Higham and A. Kijngam Carmen Sarjeant The Origins of the Civilisation of Angkor, Volume Seven: The Excavation of Non Ban Jak. Edited by C.F.W. Higham and A. Kijngam. Authors: H. R. Buckley, N. Chang, K. Domett, S. E. Halcrow, H. R. Heath, C.F.W. Higham, T.F.G. Higham, N. Ling, B.F.J. Manly, D.J.W. O’Reilly, L. Pederson, F. Petchey, L. Shewan, R. Thosarat, and S. Ward. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department, 2020. xx + 524 pp., 583 figures, 42 tables, 2 appendices, bibliography, index. Hardback US $31, ISBN 978-616-283-497-4. The seventh volume in the Origins of the Civilisation of Angkor series comprehensively describes the findings from excavations at Non Ban Jak (NBJ) over several field seasons in the upper Mun Valley, northeast Thailand. Two mounds were excavated, human burials [End Page 126] recovered, and the material culture from domestic and industrial contexts and faunal remains are presented. The volume includes further analysis of the ceramic industry and health and disease. The volume summary includes comparisons with nearby Noen U-Loke (NUL) and Ban Non Wat (BNW) and offers important insights on social change in response to climate in mainland Southeast Asia between a.d. 200 and 800. Dating to the Late Iron Age, NBJ retains intact evidence of domestic structures from a prehistoric context that is rare in mainland Southeast Asia at this scale. Furthermore, significant evidence of local ceramic production from kilns and iron smithing was recovered. NBJ has much to offer in future research and the volume is an essential contribution to understanding the origins of early agrarian states in Southeast Asia. The first chapter (by Higham, Higham, and Petchey) provides an introduction and chronology for NBJ, a large, moated site in the upper Mun Valley of northeast Thailand. As with other studies in the Origins of the Civilisation of Angkor series, the chronology is meticulously outlined with over 70 dates reported from charcoal, bivalve shell, carbonized rice grains, human bone collagen, and a bird’s egg. A small portion of the site contains Neolithic period evidence, but not in situ. The reliable sequence from a.d. 220–380 to a.d. 700–820 covers four centuries of rapid house building. Chapters 2 through 5 (by Higham) cover the east mound excavations, documented layer by layer with photos and a summary of the recovered materials, features, and burials. These chapters contain detailed information of the findings, easily referred to when considering the interpretations in the subsequent chapters. The eastern mound burials are outlined in chapter 6 (by Higham, Buckley, Halcrow, and Domett) with images and mortuary goods catalogued. This chapter leads into the east mound material culture discussed in chapter 7 (by Higham). The pottery includes the contents of the kilns, historic period pits, and occupational contexts (specifically from residential settings). The frequent presence of two bowls placed lip to lip was identified in various contexts, potentially related to buildings and burials and found in occupation layers with no clear feature association. Other ceramic items include spindle whorls, anvils, bow pellets, skin rubbers, structural clay daub associated with houses and kilns, and other clay building materials for house walls and floors. Notably, no ceramic casting bronze moulds were found at NBJ. Iron artifacts from non-mortuary contexts included ploughshares, points, sickles, and knives, indicative of the agricultural activities at the site. Glass beads and bronze ornaments (especially bangles) were found. Stone adzes and burnishing stones were rare. The morphology of ceramics are described in greater detail. However, the descriptions summarizing each vessel form are not consistently cited to images of the forms in plan and profile views where needed in the text. The provided images of the ceramics found within specific contexts such as pits and kilns are crucial for understanding local production. Later in chapter 7, the citing of images in the text is more consistent in the M and N squares section. Chapter 8 (by Higham) is on the cultural sequence of the western mound. This portion of the site had a small...