Centralized Power/Decentralized production? Angkorian Stoneware and the Southern Production Complex of Cheung Ek, Cambodia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Paradigms Shift: New Interpretations in Mainland Southeast Asian Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Historically, international archaeological research in mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) has been typically site-focused and ‘origins’ oriented (e.g., agriculture, metalworking). Theoretical framing has been inductive, frequently emphasizing the role of migration in culture change. More recently, interest in the dynamics of MSEA economies has introduced regional-scale investigations and different theoretical emphases. This paper highlights the potential of large-scale approaches for understanding regional economic development in the Angkorian Empire (c. 9th-15th c CE). A central feature of the Angkorian economy was the relatively rapid development of sophisticated craft industries. Of the multiple crafts servicing this empire, stoneware production stands out for two reasons: distribution (consumption) of Angkorian stoneware appears to map directly onto the empire’s geopolitical extent; and transport networks closely articulate with the location of stoneware production complexes best known east of Angkor. New data from Cheung Ek, a southern kiln complex near Phnom Penh, expand the number and range of large-scale ceramic production complexes beyond the Angkorian core (and Buriram). In addition, the identification of Cheung Ek stonewares at consumption sites reveals extensive exchange networks (e.g., Thala Borivat). These preliminary results reveal a more integrated Angkorian network of production and exchange than previously supposed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paradigms Shift: New Interpretations in Mainland Southeast Asian Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23561