Historical Setting

The earliest Inhabitants

    The area which is now Thailand has been populated ever since the dawn of civilization in Asia The first humans in this region were hunter-gatherers who lived by hunting wild animals and gathering whatever grew wild animals and gathering whatever grew wild in the forests. Later on, man learnt to modify nature, growing cereals such as and breeding livestock. Rice growing communities sprang up. Metal and pottery making also became highly-developed skills as these prehistoric settlements prospered prospered. Cast bronze technology in the northeastern area of Thailand dates from around 2000 B.C., making prehistoric achievements of Thailand just as advanced as those of India China.

Beginning  in the  1960s,  archaeo-logical  excavations  in   various  parts  interesting  and important    sites, a large number of   which  are  prehistoric.  There  are  several  Stone  Age  settlements, the  most  notable  being  Ban  Kao  in  Kanchanaburi  Province,  Non  Nok  Tha  in Khon  Kaen  Province,and  Ban  Chiang  in  Udon  Thani  Province.

The  spectacular  finds  at  Ban  Chiang  include  bronze  utensils  and  ornaments, painted  pollery, and  bimetallic (bronze  and  iron) weapons.  Ban  Chiang  was  apparently  settled  as  far  back  as 6,000years  and  was  continually  inhabited  for  some  4,000  years.  It was  an agricultural  community,with  skilled  metalworkers  and   potters.  Artistically,  the  glory  of  Ban  Chiang  can  be  found  in  the  large  amount  of  painted   pottery  found  at  the  site;  the  most  graceful  shapes  and  intricate  designs  appear  on  dating  back  to  the  300 B.C.- 200A.D.  period.  The  people  of  Ban  Chiang  comprised  only  one  among  many   prehistoric  communities  in  Thailand,  which  makes  the  country  one  of  the  the  cradles  of  Asian  civilization  and  an  aren  which  was  inhabited   for   thousands  of  years  before  the  emergence  of  the  first  Thai  states.