Part of History of Thailand.
Prehistoric Thailand
Early history of Thailand
Initial states of Thailand (3 BC-1238) Suvarnabhumi Funan Dvaravati Lavo Singhanavati Pan Pan Raktamaritika Langkasuka Srivijaya Tambralinga
Sukhothai Kingdom (1238-1448 )
Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767)
Thonburi Kingdom (1768-1782)
Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782-1932)
Kingdom of Thailand 1932 - 1973 1973 - present
Regional history Hariphunchai Lanna Nakhon Si Thammarat Isan
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Prehistoric Thailand may be traced back as far as 1,000,000 years ago from the fossils and stone tools found in northern and western Thailand, an archaeological site in Lampang, northern Thailand. The Homo erectus fossil, Lampang Man, dating back 1,000,000 – 500,000 years, was discovered. The stone tools have been widely found in Kanchanaburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Lopburi and etc. The cave-paintings are also situated in these regions, dating back 10,000 years ago. The previous theory often been proposed, the history of Thailand begins with the migration of the Thais from their ancestral home in southern China into mainland southeast asia around the 10th century AD. Prior to this Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. ... Map of Thailand highlighting the Bangkok province File links The following pages link to this file: Bangkok Categories: GFDL images ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 576 KB) Photographer: Paul Brockmeyer from Chicago, USA Title: Grand Palace Description: The square building in the middle is the Phra Mondop, the library in the Wat Phra Kaeo, the Thai buddhist temple attatched to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. ... The known early history of Thailand begins with the earliest major archaeological site at Ban Chiang; dating of artefacts from this site is controversial, but there is a consensus that at least by 3600 BC, the inhabitants had developed bronze tools and had begun to cultivate wet rice, providing the... Prior to the southwards migration of the Tai people from Yunnan in the 10th century, the Indochina peninsula had been a home to various indigenous animistic communities for as far back as 500,000 years ago. ... Suvarnabhumi is ancient name for lower Burma or the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. ... Tây SÆ¡n Dynasty (1778–1802) Nguyá»…n Dynasty (1802–1945) French Indochina (1887–1954) Empire of Vietnam (1945) North-South Division During The Indochina Wars (1945–1975) Democratic Republic of Vietnam State of Vietnam Republic of Vietnam Republic of South Vietnam Socialist Republic of Vietnam (from 1976) List... The Dvaravati kingdom of the Mon people existed from the 6th to the 11th centuries, when it was conquered by the Khmer Empire. ... Location of Thailand Known as Lavo during most of its history, Lopburi province is one of the most important cities in Thai history. ... The ancient Lanna society of the northern Thailand is considered more progressive than societies in other regions of the same period in that the Lanna people recorded their history and social development. ... A call of pan-pan is a very urgent message concerning the safety of a ship, aircraft or other vehicle, or persons on board who require immediate assistance. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Chi Tu. ... Langkasuka (-langkha Sanskrit for resplendent land -sukkha of bliss) was apparently the oldest kingdom on the Malay peninsula. ... Map of Southeast Asia at end of 12th century. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nakhon Si Thammarat. ... The Sukhothai kingdom was a kingdom in the north of Thailand around the city Sukhothai. ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya (Thai: ) was a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. ... Thon Buri (Thai: ธนบุรี) was the capital of Thailand for a short time during the reign of King Taksin the Great, after the ruin of capital Ayutthaya by the Myanmar. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The history of Thailand since 1973 has been marked by a struggle to define the political contours of the state. ... Hariphunchai (or Haribhunjaya) was a Mon kingdom in the north of present Thailand in the centuries before the Thais moved into the area. ... Lanna (English One Million Thai Rice Fields, Thai: ) was a kingdom in the north of Thailand around the city of Chiang Mai. ... Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thai นครศรีธรรมราช) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province. ... The history of Isan has been determined by its geography: situated between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, it has been dominated by each in turn, although its relative infertility meant it was more often a battleground than a prize. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... A fossil Ammonite Fossils are the mineralized remains of animals or plants or other traces such as footprints. ... Ancient stone tools A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made of stone. ... An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been investigated using the discipline of archaeology. ... Lampang (Thai ลำปาง) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Binomial name †Homo erectus (Dubois, 1892) Synonyms † Pithecanthropus erectus † Sinanthropus pekinensis † Javanthropus soloensis † Meganthropus paleojavanicus Homo erectus (Latin: upright man) is an extinct species of the genus Homo. ... Ancient stone tools A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made of stone. ... The Bridge over the river Kwai A World War II cemetery in Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi (Thai: ) is a city in the west of Thailand. ... Ubon Ratchathani is both a city and a province in Thailand. ... Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thai: ) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and the Nakhon Si Thammarat district. ... Lopburi is a city in Thailand, capital of the Lopburi province. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

2,500,000 - 120,000 years ago: Lower Palaeolithic

Early Stone Age

The Lower Palaeolithic is the earliest subdivision of the Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the archaeological record, until around 120,000 years ago when important evolutionary and technological changes ushered in the Middle Palaeolithic. The Lower Paleolithic or Palaeolithic refers to the earliest period of human existence, the first of the three Paleolithic (Stone Age) periods. ... The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic – lit. ... The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the Old Stone Age) was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. ... A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... In Europe and Africa the Middle Paleolithic or Palaeolithic is the period of the middle Paleolithic (early Stone Age) that lasted between around 120,000 and 40,000 years ago. ...

Early species

A drawing of Homo. erectus

The earliest hominids appears in the archaeological record, known as Homo erectus, typified by such fossil as Lampang Man, dating from 1,000,000 - 500,000 years ago, is recognisable as humans.
Homo erectus moved on to Asia from Africa, where it had originated and had learned to control fire to support the hunter-gatherer method of subsistence. Homo erectus' skull was smaller and thicker than that of modern human beings. He lived in the mouth of caves near the streams. His main natural enemies included the giant hyena Hyaena senesis, the sabre-toothed tiger, the orang-utan, and the giant panda.
In 1999, The skull fragments of Homo erectus found by Somsak Pramankit in Ko Kha, Lampang, is compared to a model skull of Sangiran II Man found in Java (Java man), which is 400,000 - 800,000 years old, as well as Peking Man. Image File history File links Erectus2ZICA.png Summary I draw it on macromdia flash , 26 oct 2005 mateus zica Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Erectus2ZICA.png Summary I draw it on macromdia flash , 26 oct 2005 mateus zica Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ... Subfamilies and Genera Hyaenidae Crocuta Hyaena Parahyaena Protelinae Proteles Hyenas or Hyænas are moderately large terrestrial carnivores native to Africa, Arabia, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. ... Species Smilodon californicus Smilodon fatalis Smilodon gracilis Smilodon populator Smilodon floridus Smilodon neogaeus Smilodon SMILE-o-don (a bahuvrihi from Greek: σμιλη knife and (Ionic) οδων tooth) is an extinct genus of large machairodontine saber-toothed cats that are understood to have lived between approximately 3 million to 10,000 years ago... For the chess opening, see Sokolsky Opening. ... Panda Bear redirects here. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Java Man was one of the first specimens of Homo erectus to be discovered. ... Trinomial name Homo erectus pekinensis (Black, 1927) Peking Man (sometimes now called Beijing Man), also called Sinanthropus pekinensis (currently Homo erectus pekinensis), is an example of Homo erectus. ...

Relation to modern Thai people

Nobody asserts that the modern Thai are descendants of the Lampang Man. However, the modern genetic research can support this hypothesis. A recent study undertaken by geneticist showed that there was no inter-breeding between modern human immigrants to Southeast Asia and Homo erectus^[1], affirming that the Thai descended from Africans in accordance with the Recent single-origin hypothesis.^[2] The term descendant or descendent has several meanings, some of which are listed below: A living being, like a plant, animal or person, that belongs to a particular lineage. ... Look up Genetic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

10,000 - 5,000 years ago: Neolithic

New Stone Age

An Acheulean hand-axe found at Omo Kibish

The Neolithic or "New" Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age. The Neolithic era follows the terminal Holocene Epipalaeolithic periods, beginning with the rise of farming, which produced the "Neolithic Revolution" and ending when metal tools became widespread in the Copper Age (chalcolithic) or Bronze Age or developing directly into the Iron Age, depending on geographical region. Image File history File links Acheuleanhandaxe. ... Image File history File links Acheuleanhandaxe. ... Omo Kibish is a rock formation and archaeological site on the Omo River in Ethiopia. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... The Holocene epoch is a geological period that extends from the present day back to about 10,000 radiocarbon years, approximately 11,430 ± 130 calendar years BP (between 9560 and 9300 BC). ... The Epipalaeolithic (or Epi-Palaeolithic, Epipaleolithic, or Epi-Paleolithic) was a period in the development of human technology that immediately precedes the neolithic period, as an alternative to mesolithic. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period or Copper Age period (also known as the Eneolithic (Aeneolithic)), is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic (Aeneolithic) or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ...

Domestication

Neolithic culture appeared in many parts of Thailand, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani and about 9000 B.C. People pioneered wild cereal use, which then evolved into true farming.
Early Neolithic farming was limited to a narrow range of crops, both wild and domesticated, which included betel, bean, pea, nut, pepper, cucumber^[3] and domesticated cattle and pigs. The establishment of permanently or seasonally inhabited settlements, and the use of pottery.
In Southeast Asia, the independent domestication events led to their own regionally-distinctive Neolithic cultures which arose completely independent of those in other parts of the world. Mae Hong Son is a town in north west Thailand, capital of the Mae Hong Son Province. ... The Bridge over the river Kwai A World War II cemetery in Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi (Thai: ) is a city in the west of Thailand. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ubon Ratchathani is both a city and a province in Thailand. ...

The Neolithic settlements in Thailand

View of the Khwae Noi River.

• Spirit Cave

Spirit Cave (Thai: ถ้ำผีแมน) is an archaeological site in Pang Mapha district, Mae Hong Son Province, north-western Thailand. It was occupied from 9000 B.C. till 5500 B.C. by Hoabinhian hunter and gatherer. Spirit cave is dated in the Neolithic or New Stone Age, a period in the development of human. The site is located at an elevation of 650 m. above sea level on a hillside overlooking the Salween River. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Spirit Cave may refer to Spirit Cave, Nevada Spirit Cave, Thailand Category: ... Mae Hong Son (Thai แม่ฮ่องสอน) (also Mae Hong Sorn) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, and at the same time the westernmost. ... Enter of Roman Catholicism (16th century) Tây SÆ¡n Dynasty (1778–1802) Nguyá»…n Dynasty (1802–1945) Union of Indochina (1887–1940) World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945) Participated in WWI (1916–1917) Axis invasion in WWII (1940) Việt Minh Front Empire of... The Salween River (also spelt Salwin, a. ...

• Wang Bhodi

Wang Bhodi (Thai: วังโพธิ) is an archaeological site in Saiyok district, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Dating from 4500 B.C. till 3000 B.C. Many stone tools have been found in the caves and along the Rivers in this region since World War II. Sai Yok is a district (Amphoe) in the Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand. ... Kanchanaburi (Thai กาญจนบุรี) is the largest of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

• Ban Chiang

Ban Chiang (Thai: บ้านเชียง) is an archaeological site located in Nong Han district, Udon Thani Province, Thailand The dating of the artefacts using the thermoluminescence technique resulted in 4420 B.C. - 3400 B.C. dates. The oldest graves found contain no bronze and are therefore from a Neolithic culture, the latest ones are from the Iron Age.^[4] Ban Chiang (Thai บ้านเชียง) is an archeological site located in the Udon Thani province, Thailand, at 17°32′55″N, 103°21′30″E. It is listed in the UNESCO world heritage list since 1992. ... Udon Thani (Thai อุดรธานี) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... An artifact (also artefact) is a term coined by Sir Julian Huxley meaning any object or process resulting from human activity. ... Some mineral substances such as fluorite store energy when exposed to ultraviolet or other ionising radiation. ... Look up Grave in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

2,500 years ago: Bronze Age

Ban Chiang pottery in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem

Copper and Bronze Age

The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking consisted of techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze. There are claims of an earlier appearance of tin bronze in Thailand in the 5^th millennium B.C. The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create parts or structures. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Standard atomic weight 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Standard atomic weight 118. ... Look up Cast in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ...

The Bronze Age settlements in Thailand

• Ban Chiang

In Ban Chiang, bronze artifacts have been discovered dating to 2100 B.C. The earliest grave was about 2100 B.C., the latest about A.D.200. The evidences of crucibles and bronze fragments have been found in this area. The bronze objects include ornaments, spearheads, axes and adzes, hooks, blades, and little bells.^[5] Ban Chiang (Thai บ้านเชียง) is an archeological site located in the Udon Thani province, Thailand, at 17°32′55″N, 103°21′30″E. It is listed in the UNESCO world heritage list since 1992. ... An artifact (also artefact) refers to any object or process resulting from human activity which represents things from the past. ... Crucibles used in Czochralski method A crucible is a cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures. ...

1,700 years ago: Iron Age

The Iron Age was the stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent. People made tools from bronze before they figured out how to make them from iron because iron's melting point is higher than that of bronze or its components, which makes it more difficult to make tools from iron. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.
Archaeological sites in Thailand, such as None Nok Tha, Lopburi Artillery center, Ong Ba Cave and Ban Don Ta Phet show iron implements in the period between 3,400 - 1,700 years ago Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been investigated using the discipline of archaeology. ...

The Iron Age settlements in Thailand

• None Nok Tha

None Nok Tha (Thai: โนนนกทา) is an archaeological site in Phu Wiang district, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Dating from 1420 B.C. till 50 B.C. Khon Kaen (Thai ขอนแก่น) is the second-largest of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ...

• Lopburi Artillery center

Lopburi Artillery center ({lang-th| ศูนย์กลางทหารปืนใหญ่}}) is an archaeological site in Mueang district, Lopburi Province, northeastern Thailand. Dating from 1225 B.C. till 700 B.C. Lop Buri (Thai ลพบุรี) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ...

• Ong Ba Cave

Ong Ba Cave (Thai: องบะ) is an archaeological site in Sri Sawat district, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Dating from 310 B.C. till 150 B.C. Kanchanaburi (Thai กาญจนบุรี) is the largest of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ...

• Ban Don Ta Phet

Ban Don Ta Phet (Thai: บ้านดอนตาเพชร) is an archaeological site in Phanom Thuan district, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Dating from 24 B.C. till 276 A.D. Kanchanaburi (Thai กาญจนบุรี) is the largest of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ...

Ban Don Ta Phet

The area of Phanom Thuan had already been occupied since prehistoric times. At the archaeological site of Ban Don Ta Phet, many artifacts were found in a 4^th century cementery, which prove trade relations with India, Vietnam and the Philippines.

See also

Initial states of Thailand Prior to the southwards migration of the Tai people from Yunnan in the 10th century, the Indochina peninsula had been a home to various indigenous animistic communities for as far back as 500,000 years ago. ...

References

1. ^ Mapping human history p.130-131.
2. ^ Multiregional or single origin.
3. ^ Gorman C. (1971) The Hoabinhian and After: Subsistence Patterns in Southeast Asia during the Late Pleistocene and Early Recent Periods. World Archaeology 2: 300-320
4. ^ Charles Higham (archaeologist)|Higham, Charles, Prehistoric Thailand, ISBN 974-8225-30-5, pp.84-88.
5. ^ Charles Higham (archaeologist)|Higham, Charles, Prehistoric Thailand, ISBN 974-8225-30-5, pp.84-88.