Archaeological Significance of Ban Chiang
Until 1960 Southeast Asia during prehistoric times was described by most of the leading archaeologist in the world as a cultural and technological backward area. The major advanced technology including agriculture and metallurgy were believed area to appear in this region quite late. Bronze and iron technologies were believed to be appeared simultaneously in this region not earlier than 500 B.C. and were considered as the advancements that the local inhabitants obtained from other superior cultures especially that centered in Nuclear China. However, the results from archaeological excavations undertaken at Ben Chiang and its related sites in Thailand have now already corrected this misunderstanding.
Archaeologists have found that the initial settlers of Ban Chiang, which appeared here around the late fourth millennium B.C., were already rice agriculturalists. They also had domesticated animals, at least cattle and pig. Later, during the late third millennium B.C., these prehistoric sedentary villagers gained a new knowledge on bronze metallurgy, Bronze implements such as socket axes and spearpoints, and ornaments, including at least bracelets and anklet, were locally cast here. Sine the area around Ban Chiang are devoice of copper and tin, the main ingredients for bronze, it is quite convincing that the prehistoric inhabitants of the village were involved in extra-community exchanges. Some times around the early half of the first millennium B.C. iron metallurgy appeared here. The Iron Age community of Ban Chiang was occupied until the first few century of the Christian era, when this prehistoric village was abandoned.
It is quite clear from archaeological evidence that the prehistoric culture and society at Ban Chiang existed continuously for a few thousands years. During such the long spanning of times certain technological as well as other aspects of cultural developments had been brought about.
The obvious implications of this evidence are that the prehistoric population of Southeast Asia had the ability to either developed or adopted new technologies as early as other cultures, and that any indigenous technological and cultural developments could be occurred in every society of any region of the world.
Another important aspect of prehistoric culture of Ban Chiang is about the consequence of bronze using.
The use of bronze in the prehistoric period of old world has always been equated with the appearance of marked socio-political transformations. Highly social differentiation is believed to be an important characteristic of Bronze Age societies. Evidence indicating the existence of raiding, warfare and ruling elites were found in many Bronze Age archaeological sites in many areas of the world but seems to be absent at Ban Chiang.
Thus, the adoption of bronze using did not interfere so much that it caused an abrupt transformation of the original socio-cultural system of the early Ban Chiang populations. This might also mean that he technology had been properly adjusted before it was nearly integrated into the slightly differentiated local cultural and society. This suggests to the possibility that the pattern of cultural development in different parts of the world is not necessary the same.