Ban Wang Hai: Excavations of an Iron-Age Cemetery in Northern Thailand

English-Thai Edition

Excavations at the Ban Wang Hai archaeological site at Muang district, Lamphun province, northern Thailand, revealed numerous graves of adults, infants and newborns, dating back more than 2000 years. Many graves were accompanied by items such as iron tools, bronze ornaments, glass beads, and clay pots, providing fascinating new insights into a little-known period of prehistory in this part of Southeast Asia.

The rarity of such finds within this region, and the quality of their condition, mark this site as one of great archaeological interest.

The Ban Wang Hai site was studied between 1996 and 1998 as the second part of a cooperative undertaking between the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and the French government represented by the Guimet Musem in Paris, the National Center of Scien­tific Research, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first part of the Thai-French Prehistoric Research Project, from 1985-1995, studied the Paleolithic culture at the Ob archaeological site at Hot district, Chiang Mai province.

The project was undertaken by a team led by French archaeologists Jean-Pautreau and Patricia Mornais, in association with Tasana Doy-Asa of the Division of Archaeology, Fine Arts Department, Thailand.