Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2C

"

[A] true magnum opus....an exquisite examination of all aspects of the metalwork and metalworking remains discovered on four sites—Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Don Klang—and all associated information required to understand the state and development of prehistoric bronzeworking and ironworking technologies in northeast Thailand within the context of Southeast Asian archaeology and archaeometallurgical studies more broadly. The reader obtains an in-depth knowledge not only of the excavated and analytical evidence of metalworking at the four sites within the larger regional context of northeast and central Thailand and Laos, but also the theoretical and methodological frameworks used to analyze these results and their ramifications within
the larger societal contexts of Southeast Asia, as well as how future archaeologists can apply these results to their own research and conduct similar investigations.

" (Journal of Anthropological Research) "The volumes are necessary reading by anyone with an interest in Southeast Asian metallurgy...[T]he volumes provide not only a detailed report of an important set of data from one of Southeast Asia's most significant sites, but also a synthetic review of what is known about prehistoric metalworking and use in the region." (Journal of Southeast Asian Studies) "White and Hamilton's admirable work... [i]s the result of decades of research and heralds the maturity of a movement away from linear progressive and technologically determinist perspectives in archaeometallurgy. Their work employs and usefully documents the full range of concepts and methods characteristic of AoT in archaeological research, including sociotechnical systems, technical choices, technical styles, life histories, and chaînes opératoires. It situates the evidence under study within a breathtakingly broad context, including plate tectonics, metallography, manufacturing techniques, depositional contexts, mining and smelting sites, and exchange networks. Every chapter is meticulously documented to an extent that will make this work invaluable for practitioners and students alike for many years to come." (Advances in Archaeomaterials) "[T]he soon-to-be four-part publication provides detailed documentation and multifaceted analysis of the evidence for metal production at the sites of Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Don Klang, as well as some suggestions on the regional context. Many of the series' chapters, however, go far beyond what is needed to introduce the material or the analytical results, reviewing theories, suggesting new approaches and different points of view, and discussing principles and issues of archaeological research on technology more broadly. The volumes are thus of interest to a broader readership beyond scholars working in Southeast Asia or on early metallurgy in particular." (Current Anthropology) "As a theoretically rich interpretive case study and regional synthesis that considers in detail social organization and community agency through the lens of metal analyses, this volume is a must-have for archaeologists and archaeology students working in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. It reminds us to remain open to a range of interpretative options and will prompt new and energetic debates in the region. A contextualized and theoretically sophisticated appraisal of socioeconomic organization is a welcome addition to the literature, particularly for researchers of prehistoric Southeast Asia, including bioarchaeologists, palynologists, and geoarchaeologists, all of whom will benefit from this robust social background for their analyses and interpretations of data." (Asian Perspectivees) "Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2C provides not only a fresh perspective on the role of metallurgy in ancient societies, but it also presents a clear roadmap for how to constructlarge-scale archaeometallurgy syntheses for interested researchers in other world areas...[T]his book is a significant achievement and will be a useful tool for those interested in the prehistory of Thailand, Southeast Asia, or ancient metallurgy." (Heritage) "[T]he series is scholarly interesting in terms of methodology that is applicable in archaeological research...[and] rich in comparative data for intra and inter-regional comparison with those from archaeological sites in Thailand and Southeast Asia. The series contributes greatly to the study of archaeology, history, human technological history, anthropology, and social sciences in general, beyond Thailand and even Southeast Asia. The series stands as a good scholarly and reader-friendly publication." (SPAFA Journal)