Thailand

    View of Wat Tham, near Yala, South Thailand.
    Archaeological studies in South Thailand represent the focus of a Fulbright-sponsored project at the Prince of Songkla University, Pattani. This included archaological surveys of historic and protohistoric sites in areas near Pattani on the coast, investigation of the Yarang ancient religious complex inland on the coastal plain, and an intensive field survey of an interior region characterized by limestone hill formations. The fieldwork at the limestone cavern called Tham Din provided evidence for a sequence covering the last 3500 years, but the artifact content of the site was limited because so much of the deposit had been removed for use as fertilizer. In all, a good overview of the regional archaeology was developed.
      References:
    • Ayres, William. 1995. The Hunter-Gatherer ot Food Producer Transition in Southern Thailand. In Archaeology of Northeast Asia and the Pacific Regions, Festschrift for Professor S.N. Rhee, pp. 65-88. Seoul: Korean Ancient Historical Society.
    • Welch, David J., and Judith R. McNeill. 1989. Archaeological Investigations of Pattani History. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 19(1):27-41.