Ceramics are among the most common type of archaeological material
To cite this page: Tan, Noel Hidalgo (2021, Updated 6 September 2022) Ceramics. Southeast Asian Archaeology. Available at: https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/ceramics/
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Overview
Ceramics are objects made from clay that are shaped and then baked or fired at high temperatures in a kiln, making them hard. They come in a variety of shapes and functions, such as pots and bricks, and are highly durable which is why they are interesting to archaeologists. We know from the archaeological record that ceramics started to appear around 3,000 BCE, especially when people began to establish more permanent settlements. As regional contact and trade grew, some ceramic forms, especially from China, became highly prized.
Some of the more notable ceramic traditions in Southeast Asia include the Ban Chiang pots with their distinctive red markings, Thai Celadon (Sawankhalok ware) and Chu Dau ceramics produced in Vietnam from the 12th-17th centuries CE. If you are in Bangkok, the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum in Bangkok University gives an overview of the ceramic traditions in the region.
Recommended Books
There are a numerous books about Southeast Asian ceramics. The following selection are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. But also remember there are some local-language publications that are not available in the internet. For other sources of reliable academic information, you should also check out the books page for latest releases and the occassional free book, as well as the journals page for the latest scientific research.
Last update on 2023-01-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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Archaeological Ceramics in the News
The news reports indexed below usually link to external sites that were active at the time of posting; sometimes websites may be temporarily down or may have reorganised their underlying architecture or have even closed down – in these cases the links may not be available. Most of the news articles archived are in English, although when I am made aware of stories in this and other languages I try to index them.
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