Public Lecture: Daily Life in Myanmar’s Ancient Cities

Another talk for readers in Singapore, this time by Bon Hudson on the Pyu Cities.

Daily Life in Myanmar’s Ancient Cities
25 July 2014 (Friday), 7 to 8.30pm
Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum

Speaker:
Bob Hudson
Archaeology Department
University of Sydney

Three huge brick-walled cities in Myanmar are currently going through the UNESCO World Heritage nomination process. They date to around AD 150, many centuries earlier than the Myanmar capital, Bagan. Many fascinating finds have been unearthed during excavations at the sites.

This presentation builds a picture of those long-lost societies through the material goods they left behind. Objects from Brahman and Buddhist agriculturalists and traders wary of intruders from the spirit world, and the treasures enshrined in Buddhist monuments tell us much about daily lives and religious aspirations. Modern-day treasure hunters, who until recently panned illegally for gold in what are now ricefields, and dug for beads in ancient cemeteries, will also be discussed. That they were still finding valuable items in the 21st century is further proof of the wealth and creativity of the ancient inhabitants.

More details here.