Ban Chiang is an archeological site where remains of human settlement during prehistoric times have been found. The site is located in Udon Thani province, in the North East part of Thailand.
Ban Chiang is a prehistoric village and burial site inhabited probably from about 1500 BC until about 300 AD. The site provides evidence of transition from Neolithic age (no use of metals) into the bronze age and finally into the iron age.
Settlement in Ban Chiang started during the Neolithic age when man was not yet capable of working with metals. The earliest graves did not contain any bronze or iron artifacts.
The earliest settlers were probably rice farmers, as suggested by some of the finds at the site. Although the earliest datings suggested that settlement in Ban Chiang started during the 5th millennium BC, later datings using radiocarbon dating have shown that settlement in Ban Chiang started around 1500 BC, during the Neolithic age