A Guide to Digital Resources on Southeast Asian Archaeology

Since 2006, this website has indexed over 6,000 news articles related to Southeast Asian Archaeology and amassed over 100 links to useful digital resources; The challenge has been to sort and present this information in meaningful ways for researchers and users wanting to learn more. Besides the navigation bar and search function at the top of the page, this directory is themed around countries and regions, specific topics, and research resources:

• Research Resources
• Countries and Regions
• By Theme
  • Artifact Type (ceramics, lithics, rock art, etc.)
  • Subfields
  • Other Themes
• Places to Visit
• Organisations
• Websites
• Archaeological Projects
• Virtual Archaeology
• Jobs and Opportunities Board

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Research Resources

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• Online Lecture Library: A searchable collection on publicly-available lectures related to Southeast Asian archaeology. Over 180 lectures and counting.
• Journals and Research Papers: All about academic papers and the publication outlets that host the latest research. Contains a list of journals relevant to Southeast Asian archaeology.
• Data Repositories and References: Digital archives and specialised collections for researchers
• Books: Book recommendations, notices of latest and freely-available books.
• Conferences: News about past events and calls for upcoming conferences.
• Laws and Legislation: Collection of local laws, legislation and international charters relevant to Southeast Asian archaeology.
• Education: A list of universities where you can study about the archaeology of Southeast Asia.
• Digital Toolkit: Software and digital tools that I use for archaeological research, with many available for free.

Countries and Regions

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The reference basis for ‘Southeast Asia’ are the modern countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus East Timor:

• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Vietnam

For the purposes of this website, Southeast Asia is also divided into three regions. Mainland Southeast Asia and Island Southeast Asia are commonly used terms, and while Peripheral Southeast Asia refers to the countries and regions just outside, including:

• India
• Sri Lanka
• Southern China: (including Hong Kong and Taiwan)
• Papua New Guinea
• Australia

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Artifact Type

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• Architecture
• Bones and Burials
• Ceramics
• Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Lithics
• Megaliths
• Rock Art
• Sculpture

Archaeological Subfield

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The study of archaeology can be further divided into specific subfields. This is not an exhaustive list, and here are some pages devoted to specific subdisciplines.

• Anthropology: The study of human socieies and culture
• Bioarchaeology: The study of human remains in archaeology
• Epigraphy: Archaeological inscriptions and writing
• General Archaeology: Things that don’t fit into Southeast Asia specifically but are interesting broadly
• Metallurgy: The science and technology of producing and refining metals
• Paleontology: Studying the history of life on earth through is fossil record
• Underwater Archaeology: The study of submerged sites and artifacts
• Visual Art: Emphasis on the aesthetic over the material
• Zooarchaeology: Animal remains found in archaeological contexts

Other Themes

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These are other common themes that come up in the study of the human past in Southeast Asia. An evolving list.

• Buddhism: Archaeology of Buddhism in Southeast Asia
• Disaster Risk Management: Protecting or mitigating damage to archaeological sites and collections from catatrophic events
• Hinduism: Archaeology of Hinduism in Southeast Asia
• Islam: Archaeology of Islam in Southeast Asia
• Tourism: Archaeological and Cultural Tourism in Southeast Asia

Places to Visit

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• Exhibitions
• Museums
• Unesco World Heritage in Southeast Asia

Websites (Blogs, Listservs, Facebook groups, etc)

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• H-SEASIA Discussion Network – H-SEASIA is a forum for discussion and communications regarding the history and study of Southeast Asia.
• Paths Unwritten – Website documenting ancient sites in Asia and the peoples who built them, and then adapting them into practical archaeological travel.
• Southeast Asia and Pacific Bioarcharchaeology – a newsletter run by Kate Domett at James Cook University.
• The Art of South and Southeast Asia, A Resource for Educators – Hosted on The Met and supported by The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation.

Blogs

• EFEO Jakarta blog (French/Bahasa Indonesia) – Blog run by the Jakarta branch of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient.
• International Council of Monuments and Sites, Philippines – ICOMOS Philippines maintains a blog on the industrial heritage of the Philippines.
• It Surfaced Down Under! – A blog by Damien Huffer discussing the looted antiquities trade in the Southern Hemisphere.
• KhmerImagery – Page by Dr Vittorio Roveda on the Archaeology of Imagery from the Khmer Empire.
• Reminiscing Old Java – Blog dedicated to sharing information about old Javanese civilization, including heritage, history, and culture. Last updated 2016.
• Tea Circle – Forum for new and emerging perspectives on Burma/Myanmar during its current period of political and economic transition.

Facebook Groups

• ASEAN Underwater/Maritime Archaeology Association – Platform for sharing maritime and underwater archaeology related news, articles and other items of interest among practitioners of underwater and maritime archaeology in the ASEAN Region. This was conceived during the “ASEAN Underwater Archaeology Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection and Possibility and Facility Study for Association of ASEAN Underwater Archaeology” held in Thailand on June 28, 2019.
• โบราณคดีเชิงวิพากษ์ Critical Archaeology (Facebook) – Run by the Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University. The page aims to critique and update the historical, art and archaeological news.
• Field School of archaeology (Pyay), Myanmar – Facebook page.
• PoP! Perspectives on the Past of Southeast Asia – Perspectives on the Past of Southeast Asia (PoP) is a research and reading group at the University of Sydney and the University of Oxford. We encourage diverse disciplinary approaches to the Southeast Asian Past, including archaeology, oral history, economic history, performance studies, philology, anthropology and museology. Facebook page.
• Sustainability and Tourism Management at Archaeological and Heritage Sites – Facebook group spun off from a project I conducted for SEAMEO SPAFA in 2017.

Personal Pages

• Alison in Cambodia – Dr Alison Carter of the University of Oregon works in Cambodia. The website is less updated nowadays, but still some good content on it. More active on Facebook.
• Michael Vickery memorial page – Devoted to the late Prof. Michael Vickery, contains a list of his publications.
• Pinisi – Site by Horst Liebner about the Sulawesi boatbuilding tradition.
• Rasmi Shoocongdej – Personal website of Dr Rasmi Shoocongdej of Silpakorn University, Thailand.
• Stephen B. Acabado – Personal website of Dr Stephen Acabado of University of California at Los Angeles.