Log Coffins Research Articles

A Study of Communities of Practice in Craft Production from Log Coffin Culture Archaeological Sites in Highland Pang Mapha, Northwestern Thailand

Abstract In the late prehistoric and early historic periods (2,120–1,250 B.P.) in highland Pang Mapha, northwestern Thailand, the Log Coffin Culture represented a unique mortuary practice characterized by specific cemetery locations and coffin stylistic variations within a localized region of mainland Southeast Asia. Highland peoples practiced these mortuary patterns for an extended period, indicating that specialized cultural practices were passed between successive generations. This article examines the communities of practice of coffin production to understand how this knowledge transmission occurred over roughly 1,000 years. We conducted a quantitative analysis of 202 coffin heads from four river drainages. Similarities of coffin head proportion and carving techniques suggest that highland peoples shared techniques among craft communities in sub-regional watersheds, including the Lang, Mae Lana and Khong rivers, for generations. The difference in head proportion and surface treatment also suggests that producers conceivably adopted some aspects of traditional techniques and developed individual styles.

Genomic portrait and relatedness patterns of the Iron Age Log Coffin culture in northwestern Thailand

The Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha, northwestern Thailand, is characterised by a mortuary practice known as Log Coffin culture. Dating between 2300 and 1000 years ago, large coffins carved from individual teak trees have been discovered in over 40 caves and rock shelters. While previous studies focussed on the cultural development of the Log Coffin-associated sites, the origins of the practice, connections with other wooden coffin-using groups in Southeast Asia, and social structure within the region remain understudied. Here, we present genome-wide data from 33 individuals from five Log Coffin culture sites to study genetic ancestry profiles and genetic interconnectedness. The Log Coffin-associated genomes can be modelled as an admixture between Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherer-, Yangtze River farmer-, and Yellow River farmer-related ancestry. This indicates different influence spheres from Bronze and Iron Age individuals from northeastern Thailand as reflected by cultural practices. Our analyses also identify close genetic relationships within the sites and more distant connections between sites in the same and different river valleys. In combination with high mitochondrial haplogroup diversity and genome-wide homogeneity, the Log Coffin-associated groups from northwestern Thailand seem to have been a large, well-connected community, where genetic relatedness played a significant role in the mortuary ritual.

The Early Bronze Age Log Coffin Burials of Britain: The Origins and Development of a Burial Rite(s)

This paper describes the results from a project to obtain radiocarbon determinations from Early Bronze Age log coffin burials. Log coffins have been recognised as a burial tradition since antiquarian excavations uncovered the first examples. However, comparatively few are associated with radiocarbon determinations and many old determinations are very imprecise. To address this, seven log coffin burials were identified across England, and 11 samples from these were submitted for radiocarbon dating. The dates from the project were reviewed with previously obtained reliable determinations to reconsider the origins and development of the log coffin burial by region. The resulting study indicates that the earliest log coffins were associated with Beaker burials but that regional variations involving different rites soon developed.

철기시대 남한지역 통나무관의 발생과 전개

The split log coffin burial in South Korea is largely divided into seven stages. Stage I(250~200 B.C.) featured an attached-round rim vessel and a bronze implement; Stage II(199~100 B.C.) a type Ⅰ rectangular cast-iron axe; Stage III(101~50 B.C.) an attached-triangular rim vessel, a type-II rectangular cast-iron axe, a type-I lozenge cast-iron axe, and a type-I rectangular flat iron axe; Stage IV(49 B.C.~1 A.D.) a nascent soft gray pottery, a type-II and type-III rectangular cast-iron axe, a type-II lozenge cast-iron axe, a type-II rectangular flat iron axe, and a type-II short lozenge flat iron axe; Stage V(1~50 A.D.) a type-III rectangular cast-iron axe, a type-III lozenge cast-iron axe, and a type-II long lozenge flat iron axe; Stage VI(51~100 A.D.) a type-III long lozenge flat iron axe; Stage VII(101~150 A.D.) the latest type of a gray pottery in the early period, etc.
 The split log coffin burial in South Korea arose in the context of South Korea on its own. It is thought that only beliefs and rituals for old big trees and big trees existed from late the first half of the Bronze Age to the first half of the Songgugni type culture, and that there were rituals for big trees(立大木) in the second half of the Songgugni type culture or in the first half of the slender bronze dagger type culture. It is also thought that returning to the Daegok-ri type culture, the creative chiefdom stratification of the Daegok-ri group that dominated the bronze implement technology occurred as old big trees and big trees were converted to split log coffins. Split log coffins generated in the inland area of Jeollanam-do were distributed in the Man-kyung river basin and Gyeonggi region before 100 B.C. Since then, they spread to the eastern part of South Korea which later became the core part of their distribution, and they became extinct according to the change of burial concept before and after 150 A.D.

APPLICATION OF CONSUMER–LEVEL UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY IN DIGITAL SURVEY OF CLIFF-BURIAL CULTURE RELICS: A CASE STUDY OF MOUNT WUYI

Abstract. The cliff-burial was an ancient funerary ritual once popular in the Far East Asia (Figure 1), in which the dead were buried high on the cliffs with log coffins (the “hanging coffins”) left in the natural caves, excavated grottoes or on some wood piles.In view of the fact that the cliff-burial sites are usually located on the escarpments overlooking the rivers and with great slope, where the conventional 3D survey means, such as ground laser scanning and traditional aerial photogrammetry, is out of option. This study explores the possibility of using UAV (consumer–level drone) with substantial improvement in survey accuracy, range and flight control (Figure 2), which aims to lay the foundation for the global cliff-burial culture heritage research. A survey method extendible on other excavated funeral sites would be tested and codified, as a possible follow up of the research on some study cases in Far East Asia and Europe.

The stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) composition of ancient teak log coffins captures the Asian monsoon 2000 years ago in northwestern Thailand

The stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) composition of ancient teak log coffins captures the Asian monsoon 2000 years ago in northwestern Thailand

Tree-ring oxygen isotope chronology of teak log coffins in northwestern Thailand and its relationship with Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation

We developed a stable oxygen isotope chronology of tree-ring alpha cellulose (δ18OTR) from archaeological teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) samples from Mae Hong Son (MHS) province, northwestern Thailand. The samples were collected from ancient coffins belonging to the log coffin culture excavated at the Ban Rai rock shelter (BR). The chronology spans a period of 283 years in the late Holocene (AD14–296). The oxygen isotopic composition of BR δ18OTR ranged from 21.15‰ to 26.31‰. Since δ18OTR variations in Thailand teak can be used as indicators for precipitation amount during the rainy summer monsoon season, our chronology can be used as a proxy for regional late Holocene hydroclimate variability. This is confirmed by a significant positive correlation of our BR δ18OTR record with a stalagmite δ18O record from Klang cave, southern Thailand (r = 0.303, p < 0.01). In addition, a REDFIT spectral analysis revealed the existence of multidecadal (26.9-year) and interannual (5.6, 3.4 and 2.8-year) cycles, which may potentially be the fingerprints of climate forcing mechanisms impacting Thailand monsoon precipitation, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Isotopic insights into the jar-and-coffin mortuary ritual of the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia

AbstractThe use of coffins and jars as funerary receptacles was common across Southeast Asia. During the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries AD, cremation was the dominant mortuary tradition on the Angkorian plains, but in the Cardamom Mountains to the south, contemporaneous groups practised a unique burial tradition involving the deposition of un-cremated bone in exposed ceramic vessels and log coffins. The authors present the first geochemical analysis of individuals from this highland culture, specifically the site of Phnom Pel. The childhood diets of those interred in jars and coffins may have been sourced from different areas within the Cardamom Mountains, suggesting that the individuals came from discrete groups.

Wooden Constructions in Bronze and Iron Age Burials in Japan and Korea

Throughout the period from 300 BC to 700 AD, significant changes took place in the life of population of Japanese Archipelago and Korean Peninsula, which were reflected by the burial rite. Specifically, the practice of using wood in mounded burials became particularly common. Such numerous instances in both regions are analyzed, the placement and several elements of wooden structures, accompanying artifacts, sorts of wood etc. are described in this work. The changes in burial rite practiced in ancient Japan can be seen. During the Yayoi period (300 BC to 300 AD), jar burials gave way to those with wooden structures in Western Japan regions closest to the mainland. It’s established that traditions co-occurred with innovations, as seen from the fact that such structures were coated with clay. Further development took place during the Kofun period (300–538 AD), when first log coffins appeared, then composite coffins, and eventually stone coffins. Similar burial practice existed in Korea earlier than in Japan, the peak of this tradition coinciding with the period of Three Kingdoms (200–600 AD). The comparison of the ways the tradition evolved in both regions suggests that it had originated on the mainland, was introduced to Japan by successive immigration waves, and was then adapted to local conditions.

The potential of teak log coffins collected from Namjang Cave in Northwestern Thailand for studying the coffin culture and paleoclimate in Southeast Asia

Ancient teak log coffins found in Namjang (NJ) Cave, Pang Ma Pha district of Mae Hong Son province in Northwestern (NW) Thailand, were dated using a combination of C-14 dating and cross-dating techniques. The longest tree-ring width chronology (i.e., the CoffinNJ index) in Thailand covered a 477-year period from 106 BC to AD 371. The ages of the NJ log coffins fell within the log coffin culture epoch in NW Thailand. The NJ coffins are considered to belong to the second component of the log coffin culture period in NW Thailand, which began from approximately 2100 BP to 1200 BP. Spectral analysis of the CoffinNJ index displayed a decadal periodicity of 11.2 years, similar to the well-known 11-year periodic change in the sunspot cycle. A positive relationship (r = 0.31, p < 0.035) was observed between the CoffinNJ index and sunspot number for the entire period from 110 BC to AD 370, particularly during the period of AD 191–370 (r = 0.48, p < 0.045). Comparisons with speleothem proxies sensitive to changes in solar activity showed relationships between the CoffinNJ index and speleothem parameters (layer thickness: r = − 0.50, p < 0.001 and δ18O: r = 0.40, p < 0.001). The results confirmed that the ancient teak trees in this study might have responded, at least partly, to solar variation. The ring widths of the teak log coffins proved to be a promising proxy for studying the evolution of coffin culture and past climate change in this area.

Perspectives on carving traditions, local knowledge and heritage conservation in Sarawak

The article presents an approach of woodcarving traditions in Sarawak. It addresses different issues in the development of carvings skills and local knowledge, from the timber species used to the ritual practices and beliefs surrounding the carving of sculptures and architectonic pieces in buildings and burial structures. The research stemmed from a general approach of woodcarving (and bone carving) made by the various ethnic groups in the State known as ‘Orang Ulu’, i.e. ‘Upriver people’ and the Melanau Likou of the coastal areas, mostly based on the Sarawak Museum’s collection. It focuses on the carved ironwood belian poles (kelirieng, jerunay, kelidèng) and other large burial structures, the salong and lijèng mausoleums, erected in the coastal and interior areas of Sarawak. The use of the burial poles is related to secondary burial practices, i.e. the ‘secondary treatment of the bones’ (nulang) inserted in ceramic jars or wooden coffins within the pole, while the salong are mausoleums used mostly in primary burial; log coffins being put inside the monuments. Most burial poles and mausoleums are still found in remote upriver locations, the most recent poles having been made in the first decade of the 20th century. The agency of these monumental structures reflects social and ritual features peculiar to these peoples. In short, the burial poles and related monuments are unique creations that articulate both the tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage. They can be seen also as the State’s pesaka – inherited sacred goods – reflecting the socio-cosmic relationships of Sarawak’s peoples with the rainforest environment. The four burial poles presently in the Sarawak Museum collection are documented and contextualised. Finally, the article outlines community efforts related to in situ conservation, and participative museography approaches that can be useful in preserving the heritage and developing new insights about woodcarving in the State.

Borum Eshøj Revisited – Bronze Age monumental burial traditions in eastern Jutland, Denmark

ABSTRACTBorum Eshoj is one of the internationally most famous monuments from the Nordic Bronze Age, key to understanding burial customs, social identities and societies. Its uniqueness is reflected in its extraordinarily well-preserved oak log coffin burials, its landscape setting in a distinct barrow group and its complex monumental architecture. Since 1988, new investigations have been conducted at the barrow group, and in 2011, the remains of the classic Borum Eshoj were investigated. The new investigation reveals a monument with an extraordinarily long and complex use-life. It demonstrates a consecutive construction procedure with basic building principles which provide a basis for reinterpreting the barrow and suggesting an initial burial ground compounded beneath one large barrow construction phase. The kerbstones were constructed before the barrow was finished, and the barrow partly covers the kerbstone construction. In a larger perspective, the new investigations indicate that Borum Eshoj, with it...

Recent radiocarbon dating and skeletal analysis of two log coffin burials from Yorkshire: Willie Howe and Towthorpe 139

This paper presents the results of the re-analysis and dating of skeletal material from two Early Bronze Age barrows in the east of Yorkshire, which contained log coffin burials. Towthorpe 139, which was investigated in the nineteenth century by the antiquarian JR Mortimer and Willie Howe, Cowlam which was excavated by TCM Brewster in the 1960s. Analysis of the human remains from Towthorpe revealed that the inhumed body was that of an adult male and the cremated remains, which were found in the mound above the log coffin burial were of a young person. Those from Willie Howe were of an adult male who had suffered a blow to the head. Not enough of the Towthorpe burials survived to obtain radiocarbon dates; however, two determinations were obtained on the skeleton from Willie Howe. These dates have revealed that the human remains date to the period ca. 2200–2000 cal BC.

The Gangga Cemetery in Chen Barag Banner, Inner Mongolia

Abstract In July through October 2014, the Joint Hulun Buir Archaeological Team organized by the Institute of Archaeology, CASS and other institutions conducted excavation to the Gangga Cemetery in Chen Barag Banner. This cemetery covering an area of about 2ha was located on the riverbank terrace about 6km to the east of Hoh Nor Town and about 600m to the south of the mainstream of the Hailar River. The excavated area is 680sq m, from which 16 burials were recovered. All of the burials had wooden burial receptacles, most of which were log coffins, and some of them were furnished with wooden board coffins. The grave goods unearthed from these burials included pottery wares, wooden saddles, birch bark quivers, iron arrowheads, bronze belt ornaments, agate beads, etc. The date of Gangga Cemetery was around the 8–10th centuries CE, which is significantly valuable for the exploration of the origination of the Mongol ethnic group.

Physical and chemical properties of the ancient glass beads from the highland log-coffin culture and the lowland areas, Thailand: Considerations on their colors and technology

The ancient glass beads from a log coffin cave at Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son as well as from Sa Kaeo, Thailand, were studied for their physical and chemical properties. The samples have an average specific gravity of 2.25, and an average refractive index of 1.55. The glasses show typical inclusions of swirls and gas bubbles, suggesting drawn production. Copper and iron are the main sources of the blue and green glasses, confirmed by the UV–Vis–NIR spectra, whereas the lead stannate is responsible for the yellow and iron for the black beads. Lead, as a color intensifier, is dominant in a gradual change from yellow to green, to blue samples, respectively. The main raw materials could possibly be silica sand, reh, and stannate. There are some evidences indicating recycled raw materials. We found that people on the northern highland of the log coffin culture had a connection to the low land community in the central and eastern regions of the country during the years of ~260–560CE. The technology of glass making for the studied glasses is the same as those used in the Dvaravati Kingdom glasses found in the sites of central Thailand.

Teak Log Coffins in Northwest Thailand: Dated by Dendrochronology and 14Cwiggle Matching

Log coffins have been discovered in caves and rockshelters in the Pang Ma Pha district, Mae Hong Son province, Northwestern Thailand. Most are made of teak wood. Many researchers have used the 14C method to determine their age. However, 14C cannot provide as precise a ca-lendar age as dendrochronology. In this paper, we therefore applied dendrochronology analysis to a number of teak log coffins at the Ban Rai Rockshelter to establish a floating chronology and to cross-date the coffins relative to each other. Then, wiggle matching was used for one log cof-fin to derive an approximate but absolute calendar age. The findings indicated that cutting of this teak tree occurred around AD 265. The analyses also revealed a close association between coffins of the same head style.

Radiocarbon Dates from Jar and Coffin Burials of the Cardamom Mountains Reveal a Unique Mortuary Ritual in Cambodia's Late- to Post-Angkor Period (15th–17th Centuries AD)

We present the first radiocarbon dates from previously unrecorded, secondary burials in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia. The mortuary ritual incorporates nautical tradeware ceramic jars and log coffins fashioned from locally harvested trees as burial containers, which were set out on exposed rock ledges at 10 sites in the eastern Cardamom Massif. The suite of 2814C ages from 4 of these sites (Khnorng Sroal, Phnom Pel, Damnak Samdech, and Khnang Tathan) provides the first estimation of the overall time depth of the practice. The most reliable calendar date ranges from the 4 sites reveals a highland burial ritual unrelated to lowland Khmer culture that was practiced from cal AD 1395 to 1650. The time period is concurrent with the 15th century decline of Angkor as the capital of the Khmer kingdom and its demise about AD 1432, and the subsequent shift of power to new Mekong trade ports such as Phnom Penh, Udong, and Lovek. We discuss the Cardamom ritual relative to known funerary rituals of the pre- to post-Angkorian periods, and to similar exposed jar and coffin burial rituals in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia.

Radiocarbon Dates from Jar and Coffin Burials of the Cardamom Mountains Reveal a Unique Mortuary Ritual in Cambodia's Late- to Post-Angkor Period (15th–17th Centuries AD)

We present the first radiocarbon dates from previously unrecorded, secondary burials in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia. The mortuary ritual incorporates nautical tradeware ceramic jars and log coffins fashioned from locally harvested trees as burial containers, which were set out on exposed rock ledges at 10 sites in the eastern Cardamom Massif. The suite of 28 14C ages from 4 of these sites (Khnorng Sroal, Phnom Pel, Damnak Samdech, and Khnang Tathan) provides the first estimation of the overall time depth of the practice. The most reliable calendar date ranges from the 4 sites reveals a highland burial ritual unrelated to lowland Khmer culture that was practiced from cal AD 1395 to 1650. The time period is concurrent with the 15th century decline of Angkor as the capital of the Khmer kingdom and its demise about AD 1432, and the subsequent shift of power to new Mekong trade ports such as Phnom Penh, Udong, and Lovek. We discuss the Cardamom ritual relative to known funerary rituals of the pre- to post-Angkorian periods, and to similar exposed jar and coffin burial rituals in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia.

Gristhorpe Man: a Raman spectroscopic study of ‘mistletoe berries’ in a Bronze Age log coffin burial

AbstractIn 1834 in a tumulus at Gristhorpe, North Yorkshire, UK, an intact coffin fashioned from the hollowed‐out trunk of an oak tree was found to contain a well‐preserved skeleton stained black from the oak tannins, wrapped in an animal skin and buried with a range of grave artefacts, including a bronze dagger, flints and a bark vessel. The remains were deposited in the Rotunda Museum at Scarborough, where closure due to refurbishment in 2005–2008 provided an opportunity for the scientific investigation of the skeletal remains and artefacts using a wide range of techniques. Dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating has established the age of the skeleton as 2140–1940 BC at 95% confidence, in the Early Bronze Age. As part of this project, Raman spectra of several mysterious small spherical objects discovered in the coffin underneath the skeleton and initially believed to be ‘mistletoe berries’ associated with ancient burial customs have been recorded non‐destructively. The interpretation of the Raman spectral data, microscopic analysis and comparison with modern specimens has led to the conclusion that the small spheres are phosphatic urinary stones, which reflect the archaeological dietary evidence and stable isotope analysis of bone collagen of Gristhorpe Man. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Classical Period of Australian Indigenous Interiors: Shaping of Space and Interiority

While building in indigenous Australian culture has been well researched from both an anthropological and architectural point of view, interiority (pre-European contact period) has remained largely un-researched. The implications of rock art (paintings and engravings) and the negative impact of confinement will be discussed from the point of view of interior architecture, in particular from the spatial ideas theorised within interior architecture. Art theory, anthropology and design representation will be drawn upon. ‘Cultural places,’ the stories revealed by the physical landscape and the evidence which has been left by indigenous occupants of the land, are revealing for the study of interiority. Dark magic rock paintings or ‘purri purri’ in the Laura Basin and sandstone engravings in the Sydney region reveal a strong spatial effect created by indigenous art. A whale engraving in North Sydney, one of the many whale representations in the region, presents an image for some contemplation in relation to interior architecture and its principles. The purpose of the image and representation of the ‘event’ will be considered. Whale bones themselves were a known material utilized in some classical indigenous building. Funerary practices involving the internment of bones within the enclosed space of logs is of importance in relation to the idea of death resulting from enclosure. In north- eastern Arnhem Land the Hollow Log or Bone Coffin ceremony still takes place. After the internment of the bones, the log is painted with clan designs and placed upright in the ground. The act of painting creates a strong linkage between the log and the human body, just as traditional architectural elements and human physiology are intimately connected.