Prehistoric Community, Maritime Interaction, and the Development of Southeast Asian
Shipbuilding: A Case Study from Material Cultures Discovered in Thailand
Dublin Core
Title
Prehistoric Community, Maritime Interaction, and the Development of Southeast Asian
Shipbuilding: A Case Study from Material Cultures Discovered in Thailand
Shipbuilding: A Case Study from Material Cultures Discovered in Thailand
Description
Southeast Asian people have been involved in maritime interaction since prehistoric times. Although Neolithic
archaeology in mainland Southeast Asia revealed that people might have sailed in open seas for marine resource
gathering, second century Before Common Era (BCE) watercrafts were considered the oldest empirical evidence of
sailing in the Thai-Malay peninsula. Elsewhere in the Bronze-Iron Age of Southeast Asia, there was an adoption of
bronze-iron production technology. This was confirmed by the presence of bronze drum crucibles from Nong Nong
Hor, Thailand, and the geographical distribution of third century BCE iron smelting sites in northern Thailand.
Shipwrecks made from local and foreign building techniques dating back to approximately the second century BCE
have been found in the Thai-Malay peninsula.
This research is designed to provide supported evidence with regards to the approach that, apart from an intensive
cross-continent maritime interaction in the early stages, by integrating technologies, cultures, and materials of
prehistoric communities played an important role in the development of Southeast Asian shipbuilding. To achieve
the research question, boats, boat burials, dugout coffins, bronze-iron tools, and material culture from bronze-iron
production sites, as well as ethnographic research in Southeast Asia, have been accounted for. As a result, the study
confirms Southeast Asian people were skilled craft specialists as they made use of simple metal implements for their
carpenter work. Further, insights in either boatbuilding or bronze and iron production also yield an understanding of
relevant factors of cultural development within the Thai-Malay peninsula.
archaeology in mainland Southeast Asia revealed that people might have sailed in open seas for marine resource
gathering, second century Before Common Era (BCE) watercrafts were considered the oldest empirical evidence of
sailing in the Thai-Malay peninsula. Elsewhere in the Bronze-Iron Age of Southeast Asia, there was an adoption of
bronze-iron production technology. This was confirmed by the presence of bronze drum crucibles from Nong Nong
Hor, Thailand, and the geographical distribution of third century BCE iron smelting sites in northern Thailand.
Shipwrecks made from local and foreign building techniques dating back to approximately the second century BCE
have been found in the Thai-Malay peninsula.
This research is designed to provide supported evidence with regards to the approach that, apart from an intensive
cross-continent maritime interaction in the early stages, by integrating technologies, cultures, and materials of
prehistoric communities played an important role in the development of Southeast Asian shipbuilding. To achieve
the research question, boats, boat burials, dugout coffins, bronze-iron tools, and material culture from bronze-iron
production sites, as well as ethnographic research in Southeast Asia, have been accounted for. As a result, the study
confirms Southeast Asian people were skilled craft specialists as they made use of simple metal implements for their
carpenter work. Further, insights in either boatbuilding or bronze and iron production also yield an understanding of
relevant factors of cultural development within the Thai-Malay peninsula.
Creator
Sira Ploymukda
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Ploymukda, Sira . 2023. “Prehistoric community, Maritime Interaction, and the development of Southeast Asian shipbuilding: Case study from material cultures discovered in Thailand.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, Bobby C. Orillaneda, 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/1952
Files
Citation
Sira Ploymukda, “Prehistoric Community, Maritime Interaction, and the Development of Southeast Asian
Shipbuilding: A Case Study from Material Cultures Discovered in Thailand,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1952.
Shipbuilding: A Case Study from Material Cultures Discovered in Thailand,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1952.