Cereals in Southeast Asian Prehistory

Summary

Rice is the most important crop in Southeast Asia today. The evidence is that rice was equally important in Southeast Asia’s past. From the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages, rice has been discussed as food, a ritual item, a farming system, a culinary tradition, a tradable commodity and the basis of power. However, was it always the staple crop in Southeast Asia? The archaeobotanical studies conducted in Central Thailand by Weber revealed that in some instances and places, millet was more important than rice. In this paper, we discuss cereals and their role in Southeast Asia. Sites belonging to different periods in Mainland Southeast Asia are presented with information derived from the study of plant remains, including cereals and weeds of cultivation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Seeds of the Past, Seeds of the Future: Papers in Honor of Steven A. Weber

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14494