Dimensions of Interactions: Bay of Bengal in the Wider Asia-Pacific Region:
Archaeological and Historical Records from the Earliest Period till 1500 CE
Dublin Core
Title
Dimensions of Interactions: Bay of Bengal in the Wider Asia-Pacific Region:
Archaeological and Historical Records from the Earliest Period till 1500 CE
Archaeological and Historical Records from the Earliest Period till 1500 CE
Description
The paper explores the role played by the Northern Bay of Bengal Region in the cultural transmission
throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The investigation begins in the protohistoric period and subsequently
discusses the early historic and the historical period. In this paper, the author raises issues of mortuary practices,
which are similar between South Asia and South-East Asia. Artefacts discussed in this paper include glass and
stone beads, portable enough to be carried across long distances and their final deposition as grave goods point
to the inherent value attached to these portable artefacts. The third issue is the findspots of these artefacts,
particularly beads from the shipwreck sites from the Philippines. It is remarkable how such sites can provide the
much needed in-situ data on portable and its dated values. All this evidence compels us to look at a neglected
region in the discussion, primarily the Northern Bay of Bengal region.
throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The investigation begins in the protohistoric period and subsequently
discusses the early historic and the historical period. In this paper, the author raises issues of mortuary practices,
which are similar between South Asia and South-East Asia. Artefacts discussed in this paper include glass and
stone beads, portable enough to be carried across long distances and their final deposition as grave goods point
to the inherent value attached to these portable artefacts. The third issue is the findspots of these artefacts,
particularly beads from the shipwreck sites from the Philippines. It is remarkable how such sites can provide the
much needed in-situ data on portable and its dated values. All this evidence compels us to look at a neglected
region in the discussion, primarily the Northern Bay of Bengal region.
Creator
Kaushik Gangopadhyay
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Gangopadhyay, Kaushik . 2023. “Dimensions of interactions: Bay of Bengal in the wider Asia-Pacific region: Archaeological and historical records from the earliest period till 1500 CE.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, V. Selvakumar, and Wijerathne Bohingamuwa. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1950
Files
Citation
Kaushik Gangopadhyay, “Dimensions of Interactions: Bay of Bengal in the Wider Asia-Pacific Region:
Archaeological and Historical Records from the Earliest Period till 1500 CE,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1950.
Archaeological and Historical Records from the Earliest Period till 1500 CE,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1950.