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Ban Chiang Project

Curatorial Section

Asian

Research Discipline

Archaeology

Dates

1974 - 1975

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Scientific excavation by the Penn Museum and the Thai Fine Arts Department took place at the site of Ban Chiang in northeast Thailand in 1974 and 1975. These excavations uncovered a thriving and hitherto unknown prehistoric culture dating from 5000 years ago and led to the rewriting of Southeast Asian prehistory.

Project Summary

UNESCO inscribed Ban Chiang as a World Heritage Site in 1992. Currently the Museum’s Ban Chiang Project is dedicated to publishing its scientific research on this fascinating ancient culture.

Location Information

The Metal Age village and mortuary site of Ban Chiang is in the province of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand.

Time Period Studied

The Ban Chiang Project's studies cover the Inital Period of occupation (? - 2100 BCE) to the Late Period (300 BCE - 200 CE)

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