• My last post of the year on the main website is a bumper issue on the highlights from this past year in Southeast Asian Archaeology. Link in the bio or here:https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2020/12/29/southeast-asian-archaeology-2020-year-in-review/
#southeastasianarchaeology #yearinreview
  • Non-archaeology post, BLACK FRIDAY SALE: A couple of special deals for @adobe products and @expressvpn until 28 November. These are software that I actually use in my day-to-day work, so they might be useful to you too. 24% off for Adobe Creative Cloud (more if you’re a student or teacher!) and 3 months free for a 12-month subscription to Express VPN. Link below and in bio:
https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/blackfriday2020/
  • 1) Bangles from Burial 49, Ban Chiang early-middle period. 2) Bent spear tip from Burial 76. 3) The latest volumes from White and Hamilton on the archaeology of Ban Chiang, a significant Unesco World Heritage Site in Thailand. I’m looking for reviewers for the SPAFA Journal @seameospafa (ideally a Thai and/or a professional archaeologist) if you’re interested, send me a PM. #banchiang #thailand #bronzeage #udonthani #book #upenn #booksforeview #thaiarchaeology #southeastasianarchaeology #prehistory #neolithic #thaihistory #บ้านเชียง #unescoworldheritage
  • Entry to Wat Chedi Luang is not much, 40 baht for adults or $US1.30 - but when we entered there was nobody at the booth and the groundskeeper told us to go right in - the lack of tourists meant the inability to pay for ticketing staff. Heritage sites dependent on tourism are taking a beating, like the rest of the industry. We left a small donation to the temple, and at every temple we visited, to help for its upkeep. #covid19 #heritagetourism #archaeotourism #chiangmai #thailand #watchediluang
#วัดเจดีย์หลวง #thaiarchaeology #thaiarchitecture #lanna #lannaculture #southeastasianarchaeology #archaeology #archaeologytravel #oldchiangmai #southeastasia #northernthailand #ancientruins
  • Check out my story for the Night at the Museum event at the Bangkok National Museum - in conjunction with Thai Museums Day on September 19. The museum hosted a tea party with musical and dance performances, followed by guided tours at the galleries. It was a good opportunity to catch the new exhibition ‘San Somdet’ - an exploration of Thai history, archaeology and culture through the correspondence of two princes. #bangkok #thailand #nationalmuseum #nationalmuseumbangkok #nightatthemuseum #sansomdet #thaimuseumday #thaihistory #thaiarchaeology #southeastasianarchaeology
  • In Chiangmai yesterday and today and most of my trip was concentrated in the old city of Chiangmai. Wat Chedi Luang, located close to the centre of the city, is easily the largest stupa in the area despite it incomplete state. Built at the end of the 14th century and damaged by earthquake in the 15th century, the chedi once housed the Emerald Buddha that had previously resided in Luang Prabang and is now in Bangkok. H/T to @pathsunwritten for his guides to Chiangmai. The history and archaeology of northern Thailand is unfamiliar to me, what else should I visit, during my next trip to Chiangmai?
#chiangmai #thailand #watchediluang
#วัดเจดีย์หลวง #thaiarchaeology #thaiarchitecture #lanna #lannaculture #southeastasianarchaeology #archaeology #archaeologytravel #oldchiangmai #southeastasia #northernthailand #ancientruins #emeraldbuddha
  • Chedi Chiang Lom, the oldest building in Wat Chiang Man วัดเชียงมั่น, itself the oldest temple in the old city of Chiangmai. The temple was built in 1297, while King Mengrai was building his new city of Chiangmai. The Chedi is similar to Wat Chang Lom in Sukhothai. #วัดเชียงมั่น #chiangmai #chedi #stupa #elephant #thailand #thaiarchaeology #southeastasianarchaeology #lanna #buddhism #oldcity #ancientarchitecture
  • The Big Bad Wolf book sale might sound familiar if you live in Southeast Asia (especially Malaysia and Thailand), and this year due to the pandemic they
  • Gold leaf relic from the 11-12th century, found inside one of the Khmer temples in Northeast Thailand (I
  • Wat Phra Si Sanphet was one of the most significant temples of Ayutthaya, being located in the grounds of the royal palace. The three chedis here house the remains of three 15th-century kings, Trailok, Ramathibodi II and Borommarachathirat III. The Ayutthaya Historical Park is now reopen to the public, with safe distancing measures in place! #watphrasisanphet #วัดพระศรีสรรเพชญ์ #ayutthaya #royalpalace #ayutthayahistoricalpark #thailand #ruins #chedi #unescoworldheritage #tourismthailand #travelthailand #thaiarchaeology #southeastasianarchaeology
Saturday, January 16, 2021
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Home » Southeast Asia » Southeast Asian Archaeology 2020: Year in Review

Southeast Asian Archaeology 2020: Year in Review

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Southeast Asian Archaeology 2020: Year in Review

Happy holidays everyone! This is my last post for the year, and as such, it is a good time to do a roundup of things that happened in the world of Southeast Asian Archaeology in 2020. Here are some of the most significant signifcant and popular posts from the year:

Contents

  • Covid-19 messes everything up, but also forces us to virtual learning
  • This Year’s Most Popular (Viral?) Posts
  • Other Significant Stories and Interesting Discoveries
  • Most Liked Images on Instagram in 2020
  • Thanks for the support and coffee!

Covid-19 messes everything up, but also forces us to virtual learning

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The elephant in the room is Covid-19, the global pandemic which has disrupted everyone’s lives and the effects of which will likely persist into next few years. Global travel came to a halt, many research programmes and conferences have been postponed or cancelled, and a precipitous drop of tourists has impacted the livelihoods of many. You can read about all the stories related to Covid-19 here (over 50 and counting), but some of the more notable stories include:

Bagan covid-19. Source: Myanmar Times 20200804
Bagan covid-19. Source: Myanmar Times 20200804
  • Visitors to Angkor Archaeological Park down a whopping 80%
  • The National Historical Commission of the Philippines announcing funding for restoring heritage sites in 2021 removed
  • ‘No rain, no visitors and no income’: Bagan adjusts to tourism crash
  • Lockdown takes toll on Luang Prabang
Thambula Pagoda by 3xvivr.com
Thambula Pagoda by 3xvivr.com

Working from home and telecommuting have become much more normal now, and this year has seen a rise in online webinars and presentations. In fact, it is easier to attend public lectures because many of them are streamed online. I’ve put together a number of online resources on this website during this period, most notably the Virtual Archaeology page where there are a plenty of sites and museums to visit virtually, a set of colouring pages for the artistically inclined, and the Online Lecture Library which contains over 130 lectures related to the archaeology of Southeast Asia.

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A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

This Year’s Most Popular (Viral?) Posts

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These were the ten most visited posts and pages on the site this year. I guess that readers found them interesting or useful, and some other cases the stories went viral – eg. the Cambodian TikTok user and the Philippine Likha received an enormous amount of attention for some reason.

Likha returned to N
  • Cambodian TikTok user arrested for disparaging Angkor Wat (September)
  • PH National Museum receives valuable Philippine artifact (January)
  • Explore Southeast Asia through these virtual galleries (March)
  • Access over 90 free lectures on Southeast Asian Archaeology (April)
  • UCLA archeologist busts myth of ‘2,000-year-old rice terraces’ (May)
  • [Paper] Early ground axe technology in Wallacea: The first excavations on Obi Island (August)
  • Foreigner hunted for defecating in Intramuros (January)
  • Mysterious wood structure found at bottom of Angkor Wat pond (March)
  • [Obituary] Prof. Janice Stargardt (January)
  • Ancient forge discovered in Kedah (January)

Other Significant Stories and Interesting Discoveries

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Even with the pandemic going on, there were still a number of interesting discoveries and developments going on around the region, such as the inaugural issue of Pratu (the Journal of Buddhist and Hindu Art, Architecture and Archaeology of Ancient to Premodern Southeast Asia) being published, and UP’s Archaeological Studies Program celebrating their 25th anniversary.

Cambodia continued to be active with archaeological work in the Angkor Archaeological Park: a forgotten cache of sculptural fragments was discovered at Angkor Wat; and a pedestal and inscription were discovered at Tonle Snguot. Restorations to the Srah Srang reservoir also yielded some unusual finds in the form of crystals and turtle reliquaries. Elsewhere in the country, lion sculptures were found in seperate ocassions at Banteay Chhmar and Phnom Penh.

Sacred turtule from Srah Srang. Source: Khmer Times 20200513
The turtle sculpture is believed to have been placed as an offering in the temple’s foundation. Apsara Authority

A number of artefacts from the colonial period was discovered in Malaysia: in Penang, the largest cannons were found in Fort Cornwallis, while more recently historical artefacts were found in Kuching. In Vietnam, excavations were conducted at the Cat Tien archaeological site in Lam Dong province and at a Chinese tomb site in Ha Tinh province. Prehistoric burials were also uncovered in the Mandalay region of Myanmar.

Cat Tien archaeological site. Source: Vietnam Plus, 20200313
Cat Tien archaeological site. Source: Vietnam Plus, 20200313

In Thailand, the destruction of the 120-year-old Bombay Burmah Building in Phrae caused an uproar, leading to the authorities promising to rebuild it in full. Two unusual finds were reported in Thailand: an inscribed terracotta plate from Nakhon Pathom province, and the largest-ever bronze drum in Thailand was discovered in Mukdahan province.

Bronze drum found in Mukdahan. Source: Matichon 20200428
Bronze drum found in Mukdahan. Source: Matichon 20200428

Most Liked Images on Instagram in 2020

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Yes, I’m still active on Instagram although I haven’t posted much in the second half of the year. These are the top five most liked images from this year:

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A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

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A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

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A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

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A post shared by Southeast Asian Archaeology (@southeastasianarchaeology)

Thanks for the support and coffee!

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And finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, my readers and supporters for following and using this site. If this is your first time here, consider signing up to the mailing list or following Southeast Asian Archaeology on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Also, a special shoutout to my recent patrons who helped offset the costs of running this website by buying me a coffee recently: Alison Carter, Bérénice Bellina, John Miksic, Wesley Clarke, Bill, Jim Dodge and other anonymous supporters.

I’m always trying to find ways to make this site more useful as a resource page beyond just a news site. Please contact me or leave a comment if you have any suggestions!

To call this year memorable would be an understatement – and given the global pandemic situation and how it has changed everyone’s lives, this might be a year that many would like to forget. If you are reading this, I hope that you are safe and that your next year will be better than this one. Signing off for this year, see you in the next!

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