Towards an Integrated Socio-ecological History for Residential Patterning, Agricultural Practices, and Water Management at the Classical Burmese (Bama) Capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th Centuries CE)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The IRAW@Bagan project is striving to generate an integrated socio-ecological history for residential patterning, agricultural practices, and water management at the Classical Burmese (Bama) capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th centuries CE) across a range of significant ecological, climatic, economic, socio-political, and religious changes. This objective is being achieved through a settlement archaeology study within the peri-urban (mixed urban-rural) settlement zone immediately surrounding Bagan’s regal-ritual epicenter, which is still clearly defined by remnants of its original walls and moat. The significance of this ongoing program of survey, excavations, and geo-spatial inquiry is grounded in addressing the continuing bias toward upper echelons of Bagan society, namely high-ranking nobles and religious institutions. This program of settlement archaeology will ultimately: 1) generate a more nuanced understanding of Bagan as a dynamic capital city; 2) provide insights into the unique characteristics of early urbanism in the tropics; and, 3) contribute to considerations of resilience and vulnerability in contemporary tropical metropolises.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22998