Archaeobotany in Southeast Asia: What have we learned so far

Author(s): Cristina Castillo

Year: 2015

Summary

Archaeobotany as a specialisation in Southeast Asia began in the late 1960s. Archaeobotanical methods (e.g. flotation, phytolith and pollen sampling) are still not routinely used in archaeological fieldwork in SEA, although in the past ten years, archaeobotany has gained momentum. For example, several sites in Thailand (Ban Non Wat, Khao Sam Kaeo, Khao Sek, Non Ban Jak, Phu Khao Thong), Vietnam (Lo Gach, Loch Giang, Rach Nui) and Cambodia (Ta Phrom) have included archaeobotanical analyses as part of the excavation agenda. This paper will present some of the latest research derived from macroremains analysis from sites in mainland SEA, with an emphasis on how the inhabitants made use of their habitats in their subsistence regime. Settled peoples have exploited their surroundings and adopted suitable crops for cultivation, but have also found limiting factors that constrained agriculture and cultivation practices. Discussions revolve around the crops and weeds found in the archaeobotanical assemblages, which help define diets, farming systems and habitats.

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Cite this Record

Archaeobotany in Southeast Asia: What have we learned so far. Cristina Castillo. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 395912)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: 66.885; min lat: -8.928 ; max long: 147.568; max lat: 54.059 ;