| The Earliest Inhabitants
The area, which is now Thailand, has been populated ever since the dawn
of civilization in Asia. The first humans in this region were
hunter-gatherers whose way of life was based on hunting wild animals and
gathering whatever grew wild in the woods and the hills. Later on man learnt
to modify nature, growing cereals such as rice and breeding livestock.
Rice-growing communities sprang up. Metal casting and pottery making also
became highly developed skills as these prehistoric settlements prospered.
Cast bronze technology in the northeastern Thailand area dates from around
2000 BC, making the prehistoric settlements in Thailand just as
technologically advanced as those of India and China.
Since the 1960's, archaeological excavations in various parts of Thailand
have unearthed many interesting and important sites, a large number of which
are prehistoric. There are several Stone Age settlements, the most notable
among them being Ban Kao in Kanchanaburi
Province, Non Nok Tha in Khon Kaen Province, and Ban Chiang in Udon Thani
Province.
 The
spectacular finds at Ban Chiang include bronze utensils and ornaments,
painted pottery, and bimetallic (bronze and iron) weapons. Ban Chiang was
apparently settled as far back as 6,000 years ago and was continually
inhabited for some 4,000 years. It was an agricultural community, with
skilled metal workers and potters. Artistically, the glory of Ban Chiang is
the large amount of painted pottery found at the site. The most graceful
shapes and intricate designs can be found on pottery dating back to the 300
BC - 200 AD period. The people who lived in Ban Chiang comprised only one
among many prehistoric communities in Thailand, which makes Thailand one of
the cradles of Asian civilization and an area which was inhabited for
thousands of years before the emergence of the first Thai state. |
