The first people to live in Malaya were Stone Age hunter-gatherers. They arrived as early as 8,000 BC. Later Stone Age farmers came to Malaya and displaced them. (The hunter-gatherers continued to exist but they retreated into remote areas). The farmers practiced slash and burn agriculture. They cleared an area of rain forest by burning it then grew crops. After a few years the land would be exhausted and the farmers would clear a new area. However within a few years the old area would become covered in vegetation and would become fertile again.
After 1,000 BC metal-using farmers came to Malaya. They made tools from bronze and iron and they settled along the coast and along rivers. They lived partly by fishing, partly by growing crops.
In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD centralized states arose in Malaya. The greatest was Kedah in the North. The Malayans became highly civilized. Malayan civilization was heavily influenced by India. (Malayans traded with India from the 3rd century AD. After that contact with India was common). Malayan laws and writing show Indian influence. The religions of Buddhism and Hinduism were also introduced into Malaya at that time.