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The Thailand Archaeometallurgy Project (TAP) in the Khao Wong Prachan Valley, Central Thailand

The prehistoric site of Non Mak La is located on a hillside which rises gradually from a small stream. The debris of occupation on the surface lies scattered across several acres. It was mostly by chance that this important site was re-investigated by TAP under the direction of Dr. Vincent Pigott in 1994. Initially the team had planned to excavate another site in the valley, but unforeseen difficulties in obtaining permission to dig on a local military base encouraged a second look at Non Mak La. Upon re-surveying the site it was discovered that an irrigation canal had been cut along one edge revealing more than two meters of prehistoric cultural deposit--much deeper than had been imagined.

Close inspection of the ceramics in the canal wall indicated a chronological range from later 3rd millennium B.C. to the early centuries A.D. The ceramics from the lowest level were comparable to those from the large regional center at Tha Kae recently excavated by Italian colleagues. Inspection higher in the deposit revealed ceramics of the type known from the neighboring enormous copper smelting site of Non Pa Wai where TAP had excavated in 1986 and 1992.

The most important revelation from the '94 excavations suggests that Non Mak La from the mid-second to the early first millennium B.C. may have been the village settlement for the metalworkers at Non Pa Wai working just across the stream from Non Mak La. This is supported by evidence of burials at Non Mak La but not at Non Pa Wai during the same time period. Additional evidence linking the two sites comes from the excavation of copper ingots at Non Mak La which appear to have been cast in small ceramic cup-shaped molds found only at Non Pa Wai. However, no copper ingots were excavated at the industrial site. Why are there ingots at Non Mak La and not at Non Pa Wai? It is possible that the metalworkers, rather than leave the copper they smelted and cast into ingots each day at Non Pa Wai, took their ingots home on a regular basis to stockpile in anticipation of exchange with other villages. Perhaps some of these ingots could also have been melted down and cast, thus accounting for the crucibles and casting molds at Non Mak La.

Finally, while TAP has focused in past seasons on the production of copper, the presence of iron smelting installations in the upper level at Non Mak La has introduced a new metallurgical dimension into our research. TAP will continue its assessment of the social impact of the two major technological transitions--the coming of copper/bronze (ca.1500 B.C.) and iron (ca.700-500 B.C.)--which prehistoric peoples in Southeast Asia experienced within a period of less than one thousand years.

With the close of the 1994 season, TAP's fieldwork in Thailand is on hold while the analysis and publication of the research conducted over the last decade continues. The following organizations and individuals have helped in a substantial way to make this work possible: National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation, American Philosophical Society, Mrs. Graham Cummin, Ms. Maude de Schauensee and Dr. Robert H. Dyson.