In and out of contact: comparing communication between sites with ceramic technology in prehistoric southern Vietnam

Summary

Contact and communication between communities in the past can be identified through the comparison of material culture. Systematic studies of ceramic technological components including morphology, fabric and decoration have indicated that certain sites were exposed to networks of interaction more consistently than others. In a comparison between An Son and Rach Nui, both located in southern Vietnam with dates and evidence of occupation during the Neolithic period, from approximately 4000-3000 BP. Cultural boundaries can be established through interaction between groups rather than social or geographic isolation. Detailed comparative analyses of ceramics from these two sites indicate that An Son exhibited a greater repertoire of possible imported ceramics compared to Rach Nui, to suggest the site was isolated in terms of ceramic technology. The two sites appear to have been integrated into two different interaction spheres within southern Vietnam, based on the ceramic evidence, and this has resulted in differences in the level of external contact within the region between the sites. These findings from the ceramic evidence are also substantiated from the lithic tool technology. The contrast in levels of communication between An Son and Rach Nui demonstrate networks of trade and exchange, cultural identity and social boundaries.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage