BAN CHIANG PROJECT
Archaeological excavations in the 1970's at Ban
Chiang, northeast Thailand, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, resulted in the discovery of a previously unknown dynamic
cultural tradition which dates back 5000 years. Evidence of
early agriculture (including domesticated rice), early metallurgy
(including early bronze), distinctive decorative pottery, ornaments,
and elaborate burial offerings stunned the archaeological world.
Human skeletal remains from the 1974 and 1975 University
of Pennsylvania and Thai Fine Arts Department excavations at
Ban Chiang, currently stored in the Department of Anthropology
at the University of Hawaii, provide a wealth of data for bioarchaeological
research including evidence on prehistoric health, diet, life
span, social status, biological relationships and origins. Dr.
Pietrusewsky, who at the invitation of its co-director, Dr.
Chester Gorman (PhD, Hawaii, 1971), participated in the 1974
excavations at Ban Chiang, and a number of University of Hawaii
students have been examining these important remains since their
initial excavation. Several important publications, including
one Ph.D. dissertation, which provide an initial definition
of the people from the region and the status of their health,
have resulted from this seminal work. Visiting researchers,
including Professors C. Loring Brace (University of Michigan),
Christy G. Turner II (Arizona State University), Tsunehiko Hanihara
(Sendai University), and others, have examined these remains
as well.
The monograph on the osteological
examination of this material is now available through the University
of Pennsylvania Press. Announcement
and Order Form or purchase it through Amazon.com
Read
Book Review by Dr. Bin Yamaguchi (2002 Anthropological
Science 10(4):439-437).
Read
Book Review by Dr. Clark Larsen (2003 American Journal
of Physical Anthropology 120(2):205-206).
Weblink
to Review by Dr. Charles Higham (2003 Antiquity 77(298):870-872).
Read
Book Review by Dr. Kate A. Robson Brown (2003 Internatioanl
Journal of Osteoarchaeology 13(6):390-392).
Read
Book Review by Dr. Marc Oxenham (2004 Asian Perspectives
43(1):162-167).
For more information on the skeletons from Ban
Chiang, contact Dr. Michael Pietrusewsky <mikep@hawaii.edu>.
For information on other aspects of the on-going work on the
archaeology of Ban Chiang and how to become a member of Friends
of Ban Chiang, please contact Dr. Joyce White <banchang@sas.upenn.edu>.
Go to <http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~csherman/index.html>
for the Ban Chiang homepage at the University of Pennsylvania.
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