Initially dated as early as 4000 B.C. — a date since revised amid much controversy to 2000 B.C. or even later — the so-called Ban Chiang culture of northeast Thailand is the earliest known Bronze Age site in Southeast Asia, documenting the early development of culture, agriculture and technology in the region.

Here are some of the artifacts from this era.

A ceramic pot (Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

A goblet made of stone (Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

A bracelet made of copper alloy (Photo: Los Angeles County Museum)

An ear ornament made of glass (Photo: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts)

A bead, cylinder stamp, or roller (Photo: Freer Sackler Galleries)

An adze head made of metal with a copper alloy (Photo: Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

An ear ornament made of glass (Photo: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts)

A bead, cylinder stamp, or roller (Photo: Freer Sackler Galleries)

A bronze bracelet (Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

A beaker-shaped vessel (Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Lire l'article "Thai Antiquities, Resting Uneasily" par Jori Finkel http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/arts/design/17fink.html?ex=1360904400&en=d439377c91f21ce1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss