The most influential books on Southeast Asian Archaeology (a crowdsourced list)

Jump to the list

This list about the most influential books on Southeast Asian archaeology originated with a paper I am preparing for the conference on Decolonising Southeast Asia’s Past. Very simply put, I am trying to understand if there is a difference in archaeological sources in English, compared to what is written in a non-English language (eg. Thai, Myanma, Bahasa). Part of this work was inspired by my experiences with rock art and the difference between what was written in English and what I could find in other languages. For example, the 2001 Handbook of Rock Art Research summarises Southeast Asia in three pages and mentions the presence of about 120 sites – of which only five are named. In contrast, my ongoing research has identified 1,200 sites (see here and here) by incorporating data from non-English sources and papers from less prominent journals. Perhaps once I have my thoughts sorted out I will share it in another post. To understand this disparity better, I put out an informal survey to ask about the most influential books about the archaeology of Southeast Asia:

This is by no means a scientific survey, but the majority of respondents in my network were archaeologists working in Southeast Asia. While it is not comprehensive, I think there is a good breadth of what is considered to be the  ‘classic’ books on Southeast Asian archaeology. A few books were recommended more than once (notably Southeast Asia from Prehistory to History by Bellwood and Glover).

This list is organised by region, then country (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) and then by thematic subject. Some suggestions that were not directly relevant to Southeast Asia were omitted. I’ve also included links to Amazon and/or the publisher if they are available for purchase (Disclosure: I make a commission if you buy the books through the Amazon links below). I’ll update this list regularly, so if you have a suggestion for other books leave a comment below.

Regional Interest

• 
  Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History (2004)
  Peter Bellwood and Ian Glover | Routledge | 9780415391177
  Bur from Amazon.com: Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History
  
• 
  First Islanders: Prehistory and Human Migration in Island Southeast Asia (2017)
  Peter Bellwood | Wiley-Blackwell | ISBN:9781119251552
  Buy from Amazon.com: First Islanders: Prehistory and Human Migration in Island Southeast Asia
• 
  Money, Markets, and Trade in Early Southeast Asia: The Development of Indigenous Monetary Systems to AD 1400 (1992)
  Robert S. Wicks | Southeast Asia Program Publications | ISBN:9780877277101
  Buy from Amazon.com: Money, Markets, and Trade in Early Southeast Asia: The Development of Indigenous Monetary Systems to AD 1400 (Studies on Southeast Asia)
• 
  Southeast Asia in the 9th to 14th Centuries (1990)
  David G. Marr and A. C. Milner (Eds.) | Institute of Southeast Asian Studies | 978-9971988395
  Buy from Amazon.com: Southeast Asia in the 9th to 14th Centuries
• 
  Southeast Asia in the Early Modern Era: Trade, Power, and Belief (1993)
  Anthony Reid | Cornell University Press | 9780801480935
  Buy from Amazon.com: Southeast Asia in the Early Modern Era: Trade, Power, and Belief (Asia East by South)
• 
  The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia (1996)
  Charles Higham | Cambridge University Press | 9780521565059
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia
• 
  Man’s conquest of the Pacific: The prehistory of Southeast Asia and Oceania (1979)
  Peter Bellwood | Oxford University Press | 9780195201031
  Buy from Amazon.com: Man’s conquest of the Pacific: The prehistory of Southeast Asia and Oceania
• 
  Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago (2011)
  Peter Bellwood | ANU E-press | 9781921313110
  My senior passed me a copy of Prof. Peter Bellwood’s “Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago” which inspired me to look into whether new data can be had from shell middens.
  Free download from ANU: Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago
  Buy from Amazon.com: Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago
• 
  India and South East Asia (1979)
  R. C. Majumdar | B.R. Publishing Corp
  Buy from Amazon.com: India and South East Asia
• 
  The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (2010)
  James C. Scott | Yale University Press | 9780300169171
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia

Cambodia

• 
  Society, economics, and politics in pre-Angkor Cambodia: The 7th-8th centuries (1998)
  Michael Vickery | The Center for East Asian Cultural Studies for Unesco | 9784896561104
  Buy from Amazon.com: Society, economics, and politics in pre-Angkor Cambodia: The 7th-8th centuries
• 
  ‘Archaeologizing’ Heritage?: Transcultural Entanglements between Local Social Practices and Global Virtual Realities (2013)
  Michael Falser and Monica Juneja (Eds.) | Springer | 9783642358692
  Buy from Amazon.com: ‘Archaeologizing’ Heritage?: Transcultural Entanglements between Local Social Practices and Global Virtual Realities

Indonesia

• 
  Ancient Indonesian Art (1959)
  A. J. Bernet Kempers | Harvard University Press | 978-0674033504
  This is the “gateway drug” for Indonesian Archaeology. First year of college, memorizing the photographs in order to identify which archaeological sites we’re going to discuss/being questioned. That was part of the final test. So although we have never been to the sites, once we’re there, we can identify them. Pretty kewl.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Ancient Indonesian Art
• 
  Lobu Tua: Sejarah Awal Barus
  Claude Guillot
  Buy from Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia: Lobu Tua: Sejarah Awal Barus
• 
  Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas (2107)
  John N. Miksic | Tuttle Publishing | 9780804848565
  I read this in my middle school library as part of my book club when I was a kid, made me interested in archaeology
  Buy from Amazon.com: Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas
• 
  Hindoe-Javaansche Muziek-Instrumenten (1927) / Hindu- Javanese Musical Instruments (1968)
  Jaap Kunst | Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten an Wetenschappen (Dutch)
  Jaap Kunst’s “Hindoe-Javaansche Muziek-Instrumenten” (1927) translated into English as “Hindu- Javanese Musical Instruments” (1968). This book introduced me to the history, music archaeology of temples in Java, the inscriptions and the classical literature in Old Javanese and Old Balinese.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Hindoe-Javaansche Muziek-Instrumenten and Hindu- Javanese Musical Instruments
• 
  The Prahu: Traditional Sailing Boat of Indonesia (1986)
  Adrian Horridge | Oxford University Press | 9780195826371
  [T]his one is ethnography, but a very good source if you’re into archaeology of traditional ships/boats in Indonesia and Southeast Asia..
  Buy from Amazon: The Prahu: Traditional Sailing Boat of Indonesia
• 
  Through Eugène Dubois’ eyes (2009)
  Vos Albers | Brill | 9789004183001
  Buy from Amazon: Through Eugène Dubois’ eyes
• 
  Menemukan peradaban: Jejak arkeologis dan historis Islam Indonesia (1998)
  Hasan Muarif Ambary | Logos Wacana Ilmu | 9789796260515
  Buy from Amazon: Menemukan peradaban: Jejak arkeologis dan historis Islam Indonesia
• 
  Studies in Indonesian Archaeology (1956)
  W.F. STUTTERHEIM | Martinus Nijhoff
  Buy from Amazon: Studies in Indonesian Archaeology

Laos

• 
  Voyage dans le Lao (multiple volumes) (1895-1897)
  Etienne Aymonier
  Excellent resource on the landscape & people of Isan prior to majority of Central Thai intrusion – for ethnographic archaeology.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Voyage dans le Lao

Malaysia

• 
  Archaeology in Malaysia (2003)
  Zuraina Majid | 978-9832514350
  Buy from Amazon.com: Archaeology in Malaysia
• 
  The Golden Khersonese: Studies in the Historical Geography of the Malay Peninsula before A.D. 1500 (1973)
  Paul Wheatley | Praeger | 9780837168081
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Golden Khersonese: Studies in the Historical Geography of the Malay Peninsula before A.D. 1500
• 
  Arkeologi Bukit Tengkorak, Sabah (2015)
  Stephen Chia | USM Press | 9789838619110
  Buy from Karya USM: Arkeologi Bukit Tengkorak, Sabah
• 
  Mansuli Valley Lahad Datu, Sabah In The Prehistory of Southeast Asia [2017]
  Jeffrey Abdullah | USM Press | 9789674611354
  Buy from USM Press: Mansuli Valley Lahad Datu, Sabah In The Prehistory of Southeast Asia
• 
  Wood Coffin Burial of Kinabatangan, Sabah [2013]
  Stephen Chia | USM Press | 9789838615938
  Buy from Karya USM: Wood Coffin Burial of Kinabatangan, Sabah
• 
  Keturunan Pemburu Pemungut Lanoh Terakhir di Malaysia [2014]
  Hamid Mohd Isa | Penerbit USM | 9789838618205
  The Last Descendants of The Lanoh Hunter and Gatherers in Malaysia
  Buy from Karya USM: Keturunan Pemburu Pemungut Lanoh Terakhir di Malaysia
• 
  Perak Man and Other Prehistoric Skeletons of Malaysia [2005]
  Zuraina Majid (Ed.) | USM Press | 9789833391127
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Perak Man and Other Prehistoric Skeletons of Malaysia
• 
  Archaeological Work in Sarawak w/ special references to Niah Caves (1980)
  Lucas Chin | Sarawak Museum
  Buy from Amazon.com: Archaeological Work in Sarawak w/ special references to Niah Caves

Myanmar

• 
  Early Landscapes of Myanmar (2007)
  Elizabeth Moore | River Books | 9789749863312
  Buy from Amazon.com: Early Landscapes of Myanmar
• 
  Excavations at Beikthano (1968)
  Aung Thaw | Revolutionary Government of the Union of Burma
  Buy from Amazon.com: Excavations at Beikthano
• 
  Ancient Pyu of Burma: Early Pyu Cities in a Man-made Landscape (1991)
  Janice Stargardt | PACSEA | 9781873178010
  Buy from Amazon.com: Ancient Pyu of Burma: Early Pyu Cities in a Man-made Landscape

Philippines

• 
  Houses Built on Scattered Poles: Prehistory and Ecology in Negros Oriental, Philippines (1982)
  Karl L. Hutterer and William K. Macdonald (Eds.) | University of San Carlos | 9789711000417
  Great interdisciplinary work that set a high standard for SE Asian archaeology.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Houses Built on Scattered Poles: Prehistory and Ecology in Negros Oriental
• 
  Philippine saga: A pictorial history of the archipelago since time began (1953)
  Henry Otley Beyer and Jaime de Veyra
  When I was in high school at the University of the Philippines on Padre Faura, Manila Campus, Prof. Twano, our teacher in Philippine History class, first year, required us to buy and read this illustrated book. The first 38 pages dealt with prehistory with many pictures and illustrations of artefacts, maps of migration routes and maritime trade routes in Asia, Hindu and Buddhist images, indigenous scripts, pottery, ceramics, and much farther on, pictures of musical instruments and dances.
  Online viewable version here.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Philippine saga: A pictorial history of the archipelago since time began
• 
  Raiding, Trading and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms (1999)
  Laura Lee Junker | University of Hawaii Press | 9780824820350
  Buy from Ateneo de Manila University Press: Raiding, Trading and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms
  Buy from Amazon.com: Raiding, Trading and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms
• 
  The Tabon Caves: Archaeological Explorations and Excavations on Palawan Island, Philippines (1970)
  Robert B. Fox | National Museum of the Philippines
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Tabon Caves: Archaeological Explorations and Excavations on Palawan Island, Philippines

Thailand

• 
  Prehistoric Thailand: From Early Settlement to Sukhothai (1998)
  Charles Higham and Rachanie Thosarat | River Books | 9789748225302
  Buy from Amazon.com: Prehistoric Thailand: From Early Settlement to Sukhothai
• 
  Before Siam: Essays in Art and Archaeology (2014)
  Nicolas Revire and Stephen A. Murphy (Eds.) | River Books | 9786167339412
  This book inspired me to study about Proto – Dvaravati in Thailand.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Before Siam: Essays in Art and Archaeology
• 
  Hill of Prosperity: Excavations at Khok Charoen, Thailand: A Burial Site at the Stone-Metal Junction (2017)
  Helmut Loofs-Wissowa | British Archaeological Reports Oxford | 9781407315065
  Just finished reading this volume and found that it is a comprehensive record of archaeological remains and data on early prehistoric human burials and occupation in central Thailand before the intensive contacts with far&remote worlds. The site name as it appears in the volume is misleading; no nearby villages or communities were or are called Khok Charoen. The site is located in Chaibadan district of Lopburi province, east-central Thailand.
  Buy from Amazon.com: Hill of Prosperity: Excavations at Khok Charoen, Thailand

Vietnam

• 
  The People between the Rivers: The Rise and Fall of a Bronze Drum Culture, 200–750 CE (2016)
  Catherine Churchman | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | 9781442258600
  This one is not totally archaeological, but its author, a historian, has used the discipline’s findings as one of the 2 essential sources for giving birth her masterpiece. The book talks about the uplands around VN-China borderlands during the 1st millennium AD
  Buy from Amazon.com: The People between the Rivers: The Rise and Fall of a Bronze Drum Culture, 200–750 CE
• 
  The Origins of Ancient Vietnam (2015)
  Nam C. Kim | Oxford University Press | 9780199980888
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Origins of Ancient Vietnam
• 
  Sa Huynh Linyi Champa
  Lam Thi Mi Dung | Nha Xuat Ban The Gioi
• Khảo cỏ̂ học Việt Nam (2002)
  Ha Van Tan | Nhà xuá̂t bản Khoa học xã hội
• 
  Thanh Hoa Bronze Drums
  Thanh Hoa Province Museum | Nhà xuá̂t bản Khoa học xã hội
• 
  Appearance of beginning states in the North Vietnam
  Trinh Sinh | Nhà xuá̂t bản Khoa học xã hội
• 
  KHẢO CỔ HỌC BÌNH DÂN VÙNG NAM BỘ – VIỆT NAM TỪ THỰC NGHIỆM ĐẾN LÝ THUYẾT (2010)
  Nguyễn Thị Hậu and Lê Thanh Hải | Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House
  This book inspired me to learn about archaeology in heritage sites and in the national or local cultural sites. It is useful for me who is not in archaeology field to start.
  Buy from Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House: KHẢO CỔ HỌC BÌNH DÂN VÙNG NAM BỘ – VIỆT NAM TỪ THỰC NGHIỆM ĐẾN LÝ THUYẾT

Other themes

• 
  Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks (2012)
  J. Richard Steffy | Texas A&M University Press | 9781603445207
  Wooden ship building and the interpretation of shipwrecks by Richard Steffy. This one is not about Southeast Asia, but this is defo one of my bibles..!
  Buy from Amazon.com: Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks
• 
  The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals (2007)
  Peter J. Ucko and G. W. Dimbleby (Eds.) | Aldine Transaction | 9780202361697
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals
• 
  Palynology: Principles and Applications (2002)
  Jan Jansonius and D. Colin McGregor | AASP – The Palynological Society | 9780931871078
  Buy from Amazon.com: Palynology: Principles and Applications
• 
  Reading Material Culture: Structuralism, Hermeneutics and Post-Structuralism (1991)
  Christopher Tilley (Ed.) | Wiley-Blackwell | 9780631172857
  Buy from Amazon.com: Reading Material Culture: Structuralism, Hermeneutics and Post-Structuralism
• 
  The Wonder That Was India (1959)
  A. L. Basham | Grove Press
  Buy from Amazon.com: The Wonder That Was India
• 
  After Heritage: Critical Perspectives on Heritage from Below (2018)
  Hamzah Muzaini and Claudio Minca (Eds.) | Edward Elgar Pub | 9781788110730
  Buy from Amazon.com: After Heritage: Critical Perspectives on Heritage from Below
• 
  Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice (2016)
  Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn | Thames & Hudson; Seventh edition | 9780500292105
  Buy from Amazon.com: Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice
• 
  A Dictionary of Chinese Ceramics (2003)
  Wang Qingzheng | Sun Tree Publishing | 9789810460235
  This is very useful for any countries which found Chinese ceramics and also for dating. It becomes rare item with expensive but good enough to have.
  Buy from Amazon.com: A Dictionary of Chinese Ceramics

This list would not be possible without the wonderful suggestions and comments from the original post. Special thanks to (in no particular order): Atthasit Sukkham, Lia Genovese, Sitanun Suwunnasin, Đỗ Thùy Lan, Le-Na Dinh, Nasha Khaw, Thanik Lertcharnrit, Veronica Walker-Vadillo, Anita Bose, Reinhart Zieger, Adhi Agus Oktaviana, Alison Carter, Damien Huffer, S. T. Foo, Yadi Mulyadi, Tanachy Bruhns, Annissa Gultom, Miriam Stark, Arsenio Nicolas, Sofwan Noerwidi, James Flexner, Louise A. Hitchcock, Nicholas Voulu, Rusyad Adi Suriyanto, Gulapish Pookaiyaudom, Leedom Lefferts, Andreas Hörstemeier, Taj Vitales, Grace Barretto, Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, Natasha Kintanar, Suresh Narayanen, Abhirada Komoot,  Ruly Fauzi, Agni Mochtar and Nurul Ain Aili