Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology - ISEAA

09/07/2026

Willis et al. published "A Possible Case of Temporomandibular Joint Dislocation, Trepanation, and Metabolic Bone Disease in a Young Adolescent From North-Central Myanmar (1000–700 bce) in International Journal of Osteoarchaeology https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70160 . This osteobiography explores the life history of an adolescent who lived during the early-mid Bronze Age (c. 1000–700 bce) and was buried at Nyaung'gan, a site in north-central Myanmar. Burial 3b had multiple skeletal lesions, and their bones were covered in well-remodeled subperiosteal new bone. One circular cranial lesion with remodeled margins is consistent with intentional trepanation. The study suggests that 3b had survived a significant traumatic cranial injury earlier in childhood and was suffering from a dislocated temporomandibular joint and possible co-morbid vitamin D deficiency-related osteomalacia. It is cautiously suggested that 3b survived a subsequent trepanation performed to alleviate symptoms of their condition. Drawing on bioarchaeological approaches to past caregiving, they consider the consequences of these on 3b and how they were cared for, providing unique insight into social dynamics and community care in ancient Myanmar.

09/04/2026

Xiao et al. published "Brass technology transmission via maritime routes: crucible evidence from southern China" in Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10373 . They note that despite descriptions in tenth-century-AD written accounts, direct evidence for early brass production in China is scarce. The discovery of crucibles and a furnace dating to the ninth–tenth centuries in Guangzhou, southern China, is therefore a key find. Analysis of metal residues found within these crucibles (see image) is presented and confirms the end-to-end processing of raw materials and production of brass via cementation. The authors argue that this find provides a new perspective on the transmission of brass-making knowledge and technology, highlighting the potential roles of institutionalised industry and maritime routes in the emergence of localised brass production in medieval southern China.

Brass technology transmission via maritime routes: crucible evidence from southern China

09/01/2026

Tanthanuch et al. published "Multi-Analytical Investigation of Prehistoric Pottery from Don Up Mung, Thailand" in Radiation Physics and Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2026.114444 . This study applied multiple technical analyses to nine sherds from Don Up Mung in Nong Bua Lamphu Province, northeast Thailand, including X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, X-ray tomographic microscopy (image shows example machine) and more. The study shows multiple or partly standardized production pathways. These results establish Don Up Mung as a site-specific reference for future comparative studies of prehistoric ceramic technology in Thailand.

08/26/2026

The overwhelming majority of archaeometallurgical finds from Ban Chiang and related sites are not grave goods, but are various kinds of fragments including crucible pieces recovered from non-burial contexts. This topic is discussed in the Ban Chiang metals volume 2B in a chapter recently uploaded academia.edu and researchgate.

https://www.academia.edu/122897628/6_Depositional_Contexts_of_Metals_and_Related_Production_Artifacts

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338267943_6_Depositional_Contexts_of_Metals_and_Related_Production_Artifacts

The analysis by Hamilton and White adopted a "Life History Framework" to assess the significance of full metallurgical assemblages assemblages for interpreting metal production and consumption in prehistoric northeast Thailand.

08/25/2026

Hernandez et al. published "Scaling down to look further back:Southeast Asia, deep-time science and microarchaeology" in SPAFA Journal https://spafajournal.org/index.php/spafajournal/article/view/1110 . They note that microarchaeology is rapidly reshaping how archaeologists approach ancient sites and narratives, unlocking millimetre to molecular-scale insights into the deep past. The establishment of the Australian Microarchaeology and Palaeosciences Facility (AusMAP) marks a major investment in micro-analytical methods, from sediment microstratigraphy and chemical characterisation to biomolecular identification. They outline AusMAP's structure, protocols and applications and invite Southeast Asian archaeologists to collaborate in refining and expanding the region's engagement with the archaeological sciences. Given Southeast Asia's dynamic depositional environments and wealth of archaeological heritage, collaborative partnerships through AusMAP could revolutionise regional archaeological practices, capacity building, and research outputs.

08/22/2026

Fu et al. published "Cultural and social innovations in southwestern China during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition" in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-026-02541-2 . This study examines the technology and function of organic artifacts from Niupodong Cave, Guizhou, through the analysis of teeth and bone tools, and personal ornaments. The results reveal a diversified osseous technological repertoire, providing direct evidence for symbolic expression, garment making, freshwater fishing, and probable plant processing. Critically, the presence of marine shells indicates long-distance exchange or mobility networks linking this inland site to coastal regions at least 600 km away. These findings illuminate a pattern of gradual, locally embedded innovation where technological elaboration and expanding social networks enhanced a mixed foraging context without an immediate shift to agriculture. The Niupodong assemblage demonstrates the need to document regional technological and subsistence changes at a micro-scale to investigate the extent to which they relate to ecological resources, subsistence economy, and social organization during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in southwestern China. In contrast to the agricultural trajectories, communities in the karst landscapes of southwestern China maintained a resilient, long-term foraging tradition.

08/18/2026

Vlok et al. published "Dental Stigmata and Skeletal Lesions of Congenital Treponematosis in Early Agricultural Vietnam (4000–3500 BP)" in International Journal of Osteoarchaeology https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70096 . They present evidence for congenital treponematosis in three non-adults from two different sites in north and south Neolithic Vietnam (4000–3200 bp) who present with dental and/or skeletal evidence consistent with congenital treponematosis, including Moon's molars of the deciduous and permanent dentition, gummatous lesions, saddle nose, and goundou. Following an extensive review of clinical and paleopathological literature, they provide a new threshold approach for dental stigmata related to congenital transmission of treponematosis. No other cases of treponematosis (congenital or acquired) were found in Vietnam following an extensive analysis of archaeological assemblages dated from 10,000 to 1000 bp (n = 309), suggesting treponemal disease was not a widespread condition on the east coast of Mainland Southeast Asia in prehistory. These findings also indicate a deep plasticity of Treponema pallidum, as the broader epidemiology still indicates a non-venereal form of the disease in Vietnam's prehistory, even with the evidence of congenital transmission. Image shows the three most common dental stigmata of permanent teeth associated with congenital syphilis.

08/17/2026

Sarah Klassen published "Communal Organization of Labor, Water Management, and the Intensification of Agriculture in the Greater Angkor Region, Ninth–Fifteenth Centuries CE" in Bridging History and Policy Essays on Resilience, Sustainability and Systems Modelling https://rdcu.be/fAnBt . This chapter explores Angkor as a compelling case study in long-term urban resilience and adaptation. At its height in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries CE, Angkor supported a population of almost one million, sustained by an elaborate water management system that redistributed rivers through vast channels and reservoirs. This infrastructure supported rice agriculture and protected the city against seasonal flooding and drought. While Angkor eventually experienced political and economic decline, paleoenvironmental and archaeological research reveals that the city survived several severe droughts. These findings suggest that earlier phases of adaptation were successful and that it was only during later environmental stressors, combined with political and social shifts, that Angkor’s systems were no longer sustainable. This chapter highlights how Angkor’s history serves as a natural experiment in urban resilience, offering valuable insights into the dynamics of societal persistence and transformation in the face of environmental uncertainty. Image shows Left: Large temple with direct access to state water management infrastructure. Right: Small temple without access to state water management infrastructure.

08/15/2026

Zhou et al published "New chronological and lithic data on the Hoabinhian technocomplex from southwest China: Excavations at Dangpa rockshelter, Yunnan Province" in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1nbv0,rVDBrCHN . They report a newly excavated and AMS radiocarbon-dated Hoabinhian site, Dangpa rockshelter, from the tropical area of Yunnan Province, southwest China. The dating data and lithic remains indicate that the Hoabinhian groups occupied the shelter by 27,000–30,000 cal BP, just before the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), while the last occupation dates to about 16,300–18,000 cal BP, immediately after the LGM. These ages make the site grouped among the rare Hoabinhian sites older than 20,000 cal BP in China and Southeast Asia. Lithic artifacts share common characteristics with other Hoabinhian sites in the region but also exhibit variability, contributing to our understanding of the technical adaptations of Hoabinhian hunter-gatherers in their “Chinese homeland” before and after the LGM. Rock paintings (see image) are found the cave walls.

08/13/2026

Shewan et al published "Surveys of Hintang standing stone sites and excavations at Site 7A, Houaphanh, Lao PDR" in Antiquity's Project Gallery doi:10.15184/aqy.2026.10408 . They report on archaeological research conducted by a Lao-Australian team at the Hintang (standing stone) sites in Houaphanh Province, Laos, which has permitted the geolocation of standing stone groups (see image and the recovery of excavated archaeological remains from one site, including earthenware ceramics, a decorated perforated schist disc and stoneware. Using Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning technology and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) documentation, the team systematically recorded the locations of standing stone groups across numerous sites.