Khao Sam Kaeo – an archaeometallurgical crossroads for trans-asiatic technological traditions

High-tin bronze bowls and copper drums: Non-ferrous archaeometallurgical evidence for Khao Sek's involvement and role in regional exchange systems

“…Given the many similarities Khao Sek shares with Khao Sam Kaeo in terms of topography, organisation and material culture (see Bellina, this volume), we anticipated that the former would furnish a heterogeneous assemblage representing the region's numerous contacts. In this paper we will show this to be the case, and that Khao Sek's metallurgical assemblage complements current reconstructions of the Upper ThaiMalay Peninsula's Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea interaction spheres Pryce et al, 2014;Murillo-Barroso et al, 2010). The analysis of copper-base artefacts also contributes to defining the political and economic organisation of the early trading-polities that emerged during the first millennium BC.…”

“…However, the analysis of crucibles and moulds from Khao Sam Kaeo revealed the onsite production of high-tin ingots using a cassiterite cementation process. These analyses thus plead for a regional production for these bowls implementing transferred Indian techniques (Murillo-Barroso et al, 2010;Pryce et al, in press-b). 2.…”

“…9-11), in which the cast object is hot-worked within a narrow temperature band and then quenched (fast cooled) to prevent the development of a brittle δ-phase and retain the β-phase that forms the characteristic martensitic texture (Rajpitak, 1983;Scott, 1991;Murillo-Barroso et al, 2010;Srinivasan, 2010). In this instance the sequence of working techniques is essential for the production of such a thin-walled artefact.…”

“…1), which indeed plots in the vicinity of bowls from Khao Sam Kaeo (KSK/11) and Ban Don Tha Phet (BDTP/5). More importantly it is a second instance of evidence, like the Khao Sam Kaeo ingot (KSK/5) and crucible cassiterite cementation processes (Murillo-Barroso et al, 2010;Pryce et al, in press-b), for the production of high-tin bronze alloys in prehistoric Southeast Asia; to which might be added the possibility of high-tin bronze production using Laotian copper as seen in a recently analysed bowl from central Myanmar (MY/SP/1, Pryce et al, in press-a). In summary it seems that Khao Sek was exposed to the same Bay of Bengal exchange networks as was Khao Sam Kaeo and Ban Don Tha Phet, and that these exchange networks relate to geologically diverse parts of India and Southeast Asia, some of which are yet to be identified.…”

Direct detection of Southeast Asian smelting sites by ASTER remote sensing imagery: technical issues and future perspectives

“…Murillo-Barosso et al, 2010;Pigott and Ciarla, 2007;Pryce, 2009;Pryce et al, 2010a;Pryce and Pigott, 2008;White and Hamilton, 2009). Since 1984, the Thailand Archaeometallurgy Project (TAP), co-directed by Vincent C. Pigott (University of Pennsylvania Museum, now UCL) and Surapol Natapintu (Thai Fine Arts Dept., now Silpakorn University) has been tackling the question of prehistoric regional metallurgy, based on the investigation of production locales (Pigott et al, , 1997.…”