Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BC–AD 200), based on a reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics

Abstract

From 500 BC to AD 200, cultural exchanges in the South China Sea were emphasized by the expansion and intensification of long-distance interaction networks. Various archaeological objects, exchanged or imitated, provide evidence of multiple contacts. Interactions in relation to ceramics are attested through the so-called Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related ceramics, whose decorations allow significant stylistic comparisons between sites of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, the Philippines, Borneo and Eastern Indonesia. This paper aims to explore the various modes of circulation of Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related pottery and to define whether they involved the movement of goods and/or of people such as merchants or craftsmen. The analysis focuses on pottery assemblages from fifteen sites recently excavated by the Thai-French archaeological mission in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. The reconstruction of various chaînes opératoires and the identification of pottery traditions reveal some Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related pottery were produced by local groups while others have an exogenous origin. Results highlight the socio-cultural and political complexity of groups in line with the production, circulation, and use of the pottery.

Full text

Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD
200), based on a reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics
Aude Favereau
a
,
*
,B

er
enice Bellina
b
a
Mus
eum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) eUMR 7194 “Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Pr
ehistorique”, 1 rue Ren
e Panhard, 75013 Paris, France
b
National Centre for Scientific Research (C.N.R.S) eUMR 7055 “Pr
ehistoire et Technologie”, Maison Arch
eologie et Ethnologie, 21 all
ee de l'Universit
e, 92023
Nanterre, France
article info
Article history:
Available online xxx
Keywords:
Exchange networks
Thai-Malay Peninsula
Ceramic technology
Iron Age
South China Sea
Southeast Asia
abstract
From 500 BC to AD 200, cultural exchanges in the South China Sea were emphasized by the expansion
and intensification of long-distance interaction networks. Various archaeological objects, exchanged or
imitated, provide evidence of multiple contacts. Interactions in relation to ceramics are attested through
the so-called Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related ceramics, whose decorations allow significant stylistic com-
parisons between sites of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, the Philippines, Borneo and Eastern
Indonesia. This paper aims to explore the various modes of circulation of Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related
pottery and to define whether they involved the movement of goods and/or of people such as mer-
chants or craftsmen. The analysis focuses on pottery assemblages from fifteen sites recently excavated by
the Thai-French archaeological mission in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. The reconstruction of various
chaînes op
eratoires and the identification of pottery traditions reveal some Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related
pottery were produced by local groups while others have an exogenous origin. Results highlight the
socio-cultural and political complexity of groups in line with the production, circulation, and use of the
pottery.
©2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
In mainland Southeast Asia, the period from 500 BC to AD 200
corresponds to deep socio-cultural and political transformations
characterized by the emergence of early forms of political
centralization and urbanism, as shown at Khao Sam Kaeo in
peninsular Thailand (Bellina and Silapanth, 2006; Bellina et al.,
2014; Bellina, in press) and Co Loa in northern Vietnam (Kim,
2013). The early historic period, by the beginning of the 1st mil-
lennium AD, witnesses the development of cities and states, such as
the kingdom of Funan, in southern Vietnam and Cambodia (Stark,
2006; Bourdonneau, 2007; Manguin, 2009). As a corollary to
these evolutions, long distance-exchange routes usually named as
“Maritime Silk Roads”developed, thus connecting coastal pop-
ulations surrounding the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. For
the early historical period, and more recently for the late prehis-
toric period, Southeast Asia exchanges with South Asia and the
West have been well investigated, especially to document the
Indianisation process (to cite only a few recent publications:
Bellina, 2007, 2014; Bellina and Glover, 2004; Manguin et al., 2011;
Smith, 1999). The external impetus on Southeast Asian cultural
evolution has been a matter of intensive debate, which finally
ended during the eighties with mixed paradigms conciliating both
local creativity and dynamism and external stimulation. However,
until recently, very little was known on Maritime Southeast Asian
populations' socio-political and economic developments when the
region became part of the Maritime Silk roads chain of networks. In
the absence of texts, long distance interactions are attested by the
growing circulation of valuable goods in the South China Sea net-
works, characterised by elaborate and exotic technology and styles
previously unknown in the region. Those include glass beads and
dishes (Lankton et al., 2006; Dussubieux and Gratuze, 2010; Borell,
2012), nephrite and carnelian ornaments (Hung et al., 2006;
Bellina, 2007, 2014; Hung and Bellwood, 2010; Hung and Iizuka,
2013; Hung et al., 2013) as well as various metal artefacts such as
gold ornaments (Pryce et al., 2008), “Dong Son”bronze drums
(Calo, 2009; Pryce et al., 2014), high-tin bronze artefacts (Pryce
et al., 2008; Reinecke et al., 2009; Pryce et al., 2014) and Han
*Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: aufavereau@gmail.com (A. Favereau), berenice.bellina@cnrs.fr
(B. Bellina).
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Quaternary International
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100
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Quaternary International xxx (2016) 1e9
Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

bronze mirrors (Yamagata et al., 2001; Reinecke et al., 2009; Pryce
et al., 2008, 2010).
Pottery was also moving throughout the networks. Some
arrived from neighbouring regions, South Asia (Bouvet, 2012) and
from Han-China (Favereau, 2015; P
eronnet et al., forthcoming). In
Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it has been thought that regional
exchange is indicated by the so-called “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”type of
pottery. The expression Sa Huynh-Kalanay was coined by Wilhelm
G. Solheim II to express the striking similarities in decorative motifs
between Metal Age ceramics from the site of Kalanay in central
Philippines and from the site of Sa Huynh in central Vietnam
(Solheim, 1964a). The Sa Huynh-Kalanay decorative style is char-
acterized by diagnostic designs, such as scallop designs on carina-
tions and rims, friezes of paired diagonals, sequences of alternating
triangles and horizontal “S”, interlocking triangles and rectangles,
and repeated scrolls or waves (Solheim,1964b, p.13). Subsequently,
such decorations have been reported elsewhere in Vietnam, the
Philippines, peninsular Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo and Cambodia,
and the term Sa Huynh-Kalanay was re-used to underline the
stylistic link between the various sites (Fig. 1). For Solheim, the Sa
Huynh-Kalanay decorated pottery provided at the beginning evi-
dence on the origin and spread of Malayo-Polynesian-speakers
groups (Solheim, 1964a, p. 196). Later, it constituted the grounds
to explain zones of favoured cultural exchange, the basis of his
“Nusantao Maritime Trading and Exchange Network”hypothesis,
an alternative to the migration theory developed by Bellwood
(1997).Solheim (2006) used it to explain the formation of shared
maritime-oriented cultural traits amongst Southeast Asian and
Pacific populations, including Austronesian- and non-
Austronesian-speakers. To Solheim, shared elements of culture
were spread in all directions in the AsiaePacific region through
some sort of trading, and not by migrations, which he thought
would have entailed a unidirectional spread (2006, p. 77). Sa
Huynh-Kalanay pottery is associated with several major issues of
Maritime Southeast Asian and more globally, Asian prehistoric
developments. Because these critical issues are at stake, a reap-
praisal of ceramics bearing this style appears necessary now that
some corpora with well dated contexts have recently become
available. The Sa Huynh-Kalanay term has limitations, as it has been
developed on the basis of morpho-stylistic similarities, which not
only overlooks ceramic' diversity but also does not necessarily
reflect the reality of interactions.
This research wishes to look beyond the “family resemblance”of
these ceramics by investigating their production and distribution
networks. What did the exchange consist of? Were the Sa Huynh-
Kalanay decorated potteries really exchanged or imitated? Were
potters moving from place to place? In other words, what really
circulated: pots, technologies and/or styles? If technologies or
styles, who transmitted them? Did they come as part of big or small
groups? What were the groups involved in such circulation
composed of? What may have been their main activity (trade, craft
production …)? Can we trace their provenance? Finally, can we
provide explanations on their production in social terms consid-
ering the extended area?
2. Material and method
The research presented here focuses on assemblages from the
Kra Isthmus in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, as part of a wider reap-
praisal including comparisons with assemblages from the
Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (Favereau, 2015). The Kra
Isthmus, the upper part of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, corresponds
to the westernmost extension of the Sa Huynh-Kalanay ceramic
distribution in the South China Sea and where its distribution be-
comes sparser. Based on the Thai-French Archaeological mission
recent dating, the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style appears from c. 500 BC
and bears no comparison with earlier assemblages. During this
period, the Peninsula was an extremely dynamic region, where
local, regional and long distance networks coincided as they tra-
versed transpeninsular routes connecting the Indian Ocean with
the South China Sea, or the so-called early Maritime Silk Roads. The
material studied comes from fifteen sites recently excavated or
surveyed by the Thai-French archaeological mission, including
early port settlements and caves used for funerary purposes. They
are located either on coastal plains or inland (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Map of distribution of some Sa Huynh-Kalanay type potteries in Southeast Asia and examples of typical Sa Huynh-Kalanay-inspired decorations.
A. Favereau, B. Bellina / Quaternary International xxx (2016) 1e92
Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

In total, 9391 sherds have been studied (Table 1). Sites are un-
equally represented. Some, such as Khao Sam Kaeo, Khao Sek, Tham
Phu Khao Thong and Tham Tuay were excavated and are well
documented (Bellina et al., 2012, 2014). Radiocarbon dates have
defined a time range from the 4the5th centuries BC to the 1st
century BC. Khao Sam Kaeo, in particular, provided a large amount
of sherds previously analysed by Bouvet (2012) and among which
we analysed those displaying Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related decora-
tions. Due to intensive looting, other sites only provide a handful of
sherds from insecure archaeological contexts. However, thanks to
physico-chemical analysis (on glass and metal), technical compar-
isons (established on stone ornaments and pottery) and morpho-
stylistic parallels (involving stone ornaments, pottery and metal)
(Lankton et al., 2006; Pryce et al., 2008; Bellina, 2007, 2014; Bellina
et al., 2012; Bouvet, 2012; Pryce et al., 2014), occupations of these
sites are estimated between the 4th century BC and the 4th century
AD.
The approach used for the analysis was developed by V. Roux
and M.A. Courty (Courty and Roux, 1995; Roux and Courty, 2007;
Roux, 2010). Based on the concept of the chaîne op
eratoire, it aims
to identify techniques used to make a pottery in order to charac-
terize “ways of doing”,or“traditions”. As shown through ethno-
archaeological studies, ways of doing are culturally inherited and
proper to social groups. They are not only typical of the potter but
also of the group he belongs to. Through the detailed analysis of
macro and micro features created in the ceramic paste during
preparation, fashioning, finishing and firing the pot, it becomes
possible to reconstruct the chaîne op
eratoire (Balfet, 1991;
Livingstone-Smith, 2007; Roux, 2010). For this, the outer and in-
ner surfaces of each pottery fragment are examined. A sub-sample
of thin sections has been conducted in order to provide comple-
mentary mineralogical information on the paste and to better
observe the orientation of inclusions and voids. Observations are
then compared with experimental and ethnoarchaeological data-
bases, allowing us to interpret them in terms of techniques. Finally,
Fig. 2. Location and type of sites under study (Illustration: C. Duval and A. Favereau).
Table 1
Number of sherds studied from fifteen sites in the Thai-Malay Peninsula.
Site Location (district) Type of site Number of sherds analysed
Tham Phu Khao Thong Langsuan Cave site 2129
Khao Sek Langsuan Open air site 5342
Tham Tuay Sawi Cave site 1437
Khao Sam Kaeo Mueang Chumphon Open air site 183
Tham Chaeng Sawi Rockshelter 60
Tham Ma Ngaen Sawi Cave site 105
Tha Chana Tha Chana Open air site 50
Tham Pramong Sawi Cave site 24
Ko Din Ko Samui Unknown 1
Tham Khuan Sawi Cave site 13
Tham Ta Thun Sawi Cave site 6
Khao Lak Sawi Cave site 3
Khao Krim Sawi Cave site 5
Ban Na Hyan Phato Open air site 30
Bang Kluay Nok Kapoe Open air site 3
Total number of sherds 9391
A. Favereau, B. Bellina / Quaternary International xxx (2016) 1e93
Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

within the technical groups thus obtained, morphological and
stylistic data are considered and interpreted in terms of cultural or
functional variations (Roux and Courty, 2007).
3. Results
3.1. Organisation of ceramic production in the Thai-Malay
Peninsula
The reconstruction of pottery chaînes op
eratoires in the Thai-
Malay Peninsula allowed us to distinguish six ceramic traditions.
Each tradition is characterized by specific paste, fashioning, fin-
ishing and firing techniques. Two of them (Fig. 3) have been
interpreted as local, despite the absence of actual production sites,
due to their being quantitatively numerous, ubiquitous on the sites
where they are identified, and the paste used for their production is
coherent with the local geological context.
The most common local tradition (named Thai-Local-1) repre-
sents 60.7% of sherds from all sites examined in the Peninsula. It
groups mineral-tempered containers. They are shaped with coils
and discontinuous pressures, then scraped. Finished by smoothing,
some are burnished. The firing takes place in an oxidizing
atmosphere.
The second tradition (named Thai-Local-2) represents 25.7% of
sherds analysed. It includes containers tempered with plant re-
mains. They are shaped using coils and/or slabs, and discontinuous
pressures. Surfaces are smoothed and occasionally burnished or
slipped. They are fired in a reducing atmosphere.
Both local traditions display various forms of pottery suitable for
various domestic uses. Finally, each includes a small amount of
pottery decorated with Sa Huynh-Kalanay type of decorations (we
refer to these sub-groups hereafter as Thai-SHK-Local-1 and Thai-
SHK-Local-2) (Fig. 3). At Khao Sam Kaeo, data obtained by Bouvet
(2012) show that the Thai-Local-1 tradition appears predomi-
nantly in earlier contexts than Thai-Local-2. Moreover, according to
spatial analysis conducted by Malakie Laclair (2008) on the same
site, Thai-Local-2 type pottery is mainly concentrated in an area
that was occupied by foreign populations (corresponding to hills 3
and 4: see Bellina and Silapanth, 2006, for a detailed description of
the configuration of the site). Given these data, we interpreted the
Thai-Local-2 tradition as the reflection of a group of migrants who
might have been settling in this part of the Thai-Malay Peninsula
around 400 BC.
The four other traditions identified in the Thai-Malay Peninsula
(Fig. 4) have been interpreted as exogenous: they correspond to
small amounts of sherds (0.6e7.9% of the total number of sherds in
the Peninsula) and employ techniques not seen in what are thought
to be local traditions. In addition, the pastes, shapes and decora-
tions are proper to each group and not shared with any other group
in the area.
The first exogenous tradition (7.9% of total sherds) is named
Thai-Paddled. Containers have a mineral temper and are shaped
using the paddle and anvil technique. The outer surface is fully
impressed. They are fired in oxidising atmospheres. Although
origin of the tradition remains unknown at this stage of the
research, containers may be compared with the “Bau-Malay”
paddle-impressed pottery first described by Solheim in the
Philippines (P. Bellwood, pers. comm.).
The second exogenous tradition (1.6%), named Thai-SHK-
Exogenous, includes containers with mineral temper, often asso-
ciated with small fragments of crushed ceramic (grog) or shell.
These are shaped with coils or slabs, and discontinuous pressure.
The lower halves of pots are paddled. The decorations systemati-
cally adopt diagnostic elements of the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style. The
firing is oxidized.
The third exogenous tradition (0.6%) includes Han period-
related containers (and more likely Western Han period (206
BCeAD 9)), as recognized at Khao Sam Kaeo by P
eronnet et al.
(forthcoming). Here, ceramics have a fine mineral temper. They
are shaped using coils, then discontinuous pressures. In most cases,
they are paddled. The inner and outer surfaces are smoothed and
the outer surface is covered by paddle impressions and often with
stamp impressions. Impressed motifs are typical for pots that were
manufactured in China during the Han Dynasty. They are fired in
oxidation.
The last exogenous tradition (3.5%) includes Fine Wares-related
pottery (for a detailed study of Fine Wares from Khao Sam Kaeo, see
Bouvet, 2012). Containers are comparable with those found on sites
from the Indian Ocean basin. The paste is fine, tempered with
minerals. They are shaped with the use of rotational kinetic energy,
slipped and fired in a reducing atmosphere.
3.2. Groups using the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style and identified in the
Thai-Malay Peninsula
The study of the various chaînes op
eratoires in the Thai-Malay
Peninsula distinguishes three different ways of making containers
Table 2
Number of Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related fragments (and MNI) per group.
Site Group Thai-SHK-Local-1
Number of sherds (MNI)
Group Thai-SHK-Local-2
Number of sherds (MNI)
Group Thai-SHK-Exogenous
Number of sherds (MNI)
Tham Phu Khao Thong 46 (14) 43 (15) e
Khao Sek 77 (1) e370 (10)
Tham Tuay 9 (9) 23 (20) 4 (4)
Khao Sam Kaeo 152 (61) 2 (2) 8 (8)
Tham Chaeng eee
Tham Ma Ngaen e22 (8) e
Tha Chana 8 (8) e2 (2)
Tham Pramong 3 (2) 21 (14) e
Ko Din e7 (7) 2 (2)
Tham Khuan 3 (3) ee
Tham Ta Thun 2 (1) ee
Khao Lak 1 (1) ee
Khao Krim 1 (1) 2 (2) e
Ban Na Hyan eee
Bang Kluay Nok eee
Total 302 (101) 120 (68) 386 (26)
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Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

with Sa Huynh-Kalanay decorations. The first two types are pro-
duced by local groups (Thai SHK-Local-1 and Thai-SHK-Local-2), and
the third is exogenous (Thai SHK-Exogenous) (Fig. 8 and Table 2).
Thai-SHK-Local-1 pottery (Fig. 5) are produced in small quan-
tities (N ¼302; MNI ¼101) and occur in contexts dated from the
5th to 2nd century BC. The pots appear on domestic and burial
contexts, on ten sites of the Peninsula. The technical signature of
the group and the morphologies of containers are local. They
correspond to pottery produced by local artisans. Decorations
reproduce some typical designs of the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style
such as incised horizontal “S”pattern and interlocking triangles.
Other motifs evoke the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style but on each site
where the group has been identified, decorations are character-
ized by their own interpretation of the Sa Huynh-Kalanay
repertoire.
Thai-SHK-Local-2 (Fig. 6) are reproduced by a group which
appear from around 400 BC in the archaeological record. Rare
(N ¼120; MNI ¼68), 95e98% of containers are found in funerary
contexts. They are present on seven sites in the Peninsula and are
dated from the 5th to the 1st century BC. The technical signature is
local. Surfaces are carefully burnished and decorated. Stylistic
lexicon mixes diagnostic elements of the Sa Huynh-Kalanay lexicon
such as incised spirals, waves or interlocking triangles and patterns
impressed with the edge of a shell. Other motives are perfectly
originals: indeed, there is no correspondence within the Sa Huynh-
Kalanay lexicon. Lenticular flat surfaces can be found on the pe-
riphery of the carina, alternating with small notches. This type of
decorations is innovative, since it occurs as early as 400 BC, which
correspond to the oldest known date for such decorations on Metal
Age sites in the South China Sea. On some sites of the Peninsula,
pots of this group not only share stylistic similarities but also
manufacturing traces are perfectly comparable. Given the scarcity
of these pots, this may indicate that the concerned containers have
been produced by a single craftsman.
Thai-SHK-Exogenous pottery (Fig. 7) circulated in very small
quantities (N ¼386; MNI ¼26). The group appears on five sites and
is mainly associated with habitation contexts (80e99% of the
sherds). At Khao Sam Kaeo, sherds occur in contexts dated around
the 4the2nd century BC on hills 3 and 4, an area of the site that was
likely to be occupied by foreign populations (Bellina and Silapanth,
2008). The chaîne op
eratoire is totally exogenous. Here, the stylistic
lexicon is less varied, mainly displaying strips of paired diagonal
incised lines and repeated lenticular flat areas on the carina alter-
nating with impressed notches.
Fig. 3. Local ceramic traditions identified in the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Thai-Local-1 and Thai-Local-2) and variations within the traditions (Thai-SHK-Local-1 and Thai-SHK-Local-2).
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Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

4. Discussion and conclusion
One of the most striking discoveries of this research is the
ubiquitous presence, even though in small amounts, of Sa Huynh-
Kalanay style pottery amongst the Upper Peninsula corpus
(Fig. 8). Specimens are more numerous in coastal contexts than in
inland caves. Of over 15 sites investigated or excavated, 12 yielded
Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related corpora, most of which were probably
produced by local potters (groups Thai-SHK-Local-1 and Thai-SHK-
Local-2).
Thai-SHK-Local-1 corresponds to pottery produced by local
potters imitating the Sa Huynh-Kalanay style from 500 BC. There
were probably produced on demand for a limited number of in-
dividuals. The stylistic diversity from site to site suggests multiple
centers of productions. This group raises the question of who group
ordered these pots, and for which occasion they wanted to have
such containers? Were they local populations willing to copy an
exotic style or foreigners present in the Peninsula who would have
ordered containers characteristic of their cultural group?
Thai-SHK-Local-2 were produced occasionally by another group
of local potters from around 400 BC. The great care involved in the
containers' making suggests that they may have been produced by
craftsmen specialized in high quality productions. Highly similar
productions traces and shared stylistic designs might be indicative
of a single production center. Given their context of discovery, these
potteries may have circulated for special events in relation to
funerary rituals.
Thai-SHK-Exogenous is an exogenous group that shows strong
stylistic analogies with ceramics from the Kalanay cultural area in
the central Philippines but none with Sa Huynh culture typical
motifs. However, comparable pottery was unearthed from one site
in central Vietnam, Hoa Diem, whose investigators highlighted the
Fig. 4. Exogenous ceramic traditions identified in the Thai-Malay Peninsula (bottom
left: Suthi Rattana Foundation).
Fig. 5. Locally produced pottery from group Thai-SHK-Local-1.
Fig. 6. Locally produced pottery from group Thai-SHK-Local-2 (upper: pottery sherd
from Dr. Chawalit Khaokhiew' survey; bottom right: Suthi Rattana Foundation).
Fig. 7. Exogenous pottery from group Thai-SHK -Exogenous (upper right and bottom
left: Suthi Rattana Foundation).
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Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

similarities with the site of Kalanay (Yamagata and Hoang, 2008;
Yamagata, 2012).
To sum up, in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sa Huynh-Kalanay-
related pottery is omnipresent, albeit in very small quantities,
and mainly comes from funerary contexts. The technological
analysis demonstrated that only a few pots circulated in reality. The
majority were produced by local potters to satisfy occasional de-
mand whilst others were imported, probably by a small number of
individuals. On the other hand, decorative designs circulated
widely. Decorations are likely to play a symbolic role: they are
frequently found associated with valuables artefacts such as beads,
various ornaments, and metal objects. They may represent a spe-
cific form of distinction, proper to small groups of individuals in the
Peninsula who were involved at different levels in long-distance
exchange. Who were these different groups and what was their
role in this complex network involving different ecological niches
and socio-political organizations?
Both locally made Sa Huynh-Kalanay ceramics traditions were
predominantly found in coastal areas but they occur in inland caves
located in the forested zone as well, even if in lesser quantity.
However, the assemblage the Thai-French archaeological mission
has been able to uncover from inland sites is proportionally much
smaller. The first tradition, Thai-Local-1, may representone group of
people and the second, Thai-Local-2, another one who settled in this
part of the Peninsula slightly later. The scarcity of data prevents us
from formulating a hypothesis on the second group's provenance.
This latter group need not have come from far away. Ethnographic
accounts describe how some nomadic groups could obtain some
manufactured crafts amongst specialists established in coastal
trading centers. Further research is needed to check whether a
comparable organization may have existed as soon as the late pre-
historic period. As for the Thai-SHK-Exogenous, this group traces
links with the Philippines and is almost exclusively found within
port settlements of cosmopolitan configuration in the Peninsula.
What role each group played in network exchange and in local
socio-political developments are amongst future questions this
research aims to answer. The complexity of the organisation of the
production in this part of the Peninsula from around 500 BC reflects
the significant social, political and economic evolution some groups
in the South China Sea region eand more specifically the Thai-
Malay Peninsula-were facing when the region became a central
node of the burgeoning Maritime Silk Roads.
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Fine Art
Department, Silpakorn University (in particular Dr. Rasmi Shoo-
congdej and Dr. Chawalit Khaokhiew), the National Science
Fig. 8. Distribution of Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related pottery per group in the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Illustration: C. Duval and A. Favereau).
A. Favereau, B. Bellina / Quaternary International xxx (2016) 1e97
Please cite this article in press as: Favereau, A., Bellina, B., Thai-Malay Peninsula and South China Sea networks (500 BCeAD 200), based on a
reappraisal of “Sa Huynh-Kalanay”-related ceramics, Quaternary International (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.100

Museum (in particular Cholawit Thongcharoenchaikit), the
Chumphon National Museum and the Suthi Rattana Foundation (in
particular Dr. Bunchar Pongpanich), which kindly provided us the
opportunities to analyse pottery assemblages from Thailand. We
also thank Prof. Mariko Yamagata, Dr. Bui Chi Hoang, Dr. Kim-Dung
Nguyen, Dir. Tran Tan Vinh, the Sa Huynh and Cham Culture
Museum in Duy Xuyen and the Tam Ky Museum for allowing us to
study in Vietnam, as well as Prof. Carla Sinopoli for letting us study
the Guthe collection kept in the Museum of Anthropology, Michi-
gan University. We extend our thanks to the Department of Pre-
history of the Mus
eum National d'Histoire Naturelle (UMR 7194)
and the PrehSEA project ”Managing Prehistoric Heritage in South-
east Asia”for giving us the opportunity to present this research at
the XVII World UISSP Congress, and to Prof. Valentine Roux and Dr.
Thomas Oliver Pryce (UMR 7055) for valuable advice. Special
thanks to Carole Duval (UMR 7055) for her work on illustrations.
The Thai-French archaeological mission has received financial
support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and its exca-
vation division) and the National Centre for Scientific Research
(CNRS). Part of the results in this article are presented in A. Favereau
PhD thesis (advisors: Dr. C. Comentale, Prof. V. Roux and Dr. B.
Bellina) that was funded by the Region Ile-de-France and conducted
at the Department of Prehistory of the Mus
eum National d'Histoire
Naturelle (UMR 7194).
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