<Notes>The Need for an Inventory of Ancient Sites for Anthropological Research in Northeastern Thailand

Abstract

The Northeastern part of Thailand abounds with earthworks, the majority of which are the remains of ancient cities and towns. Over 300 sites are distributed along the valleys of the rivers Mun and Chi. The presence of the remains of these ancient cities and towns indicates that the region was once the most populous area of the country, and perhaps of all Southeast Asia as well. Unfortunately, as yet there has been no systematic and comprehensive archaeological and anthropological study done of these ancient sites. Many of them are going to be lost forever due to large scale devastation caused by the construction of irrigation dams, water reservoirs, highways and buildings which are part of the economic development programmes initiated by the Thai government as well as by the Mekong Valley Project of the United Nations. These archaeological sites, when carefully studied, will yield information valuable to an understanding of the society and culture of the local population, whose social organization and way of life are going to be affected by these planned changes. In addition, the results of such a systematic and comprehensive study will shed light on some missing links in the history of ancient Southeast Asia. This paper suggests that what is needed at this present time is the preparation of a well-defined inventory of these ancient sites which can be used for future surveys, excavations and studies.