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Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar: a four-millennia sequence from Halin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2024

T.O. Pryce Open the ORCID record for T.O. Pryce [Opens in a new window] ,
Baptiste Pradier Open the ORCID record for Baptiste Pradier [Opens in a new window] ,
Aude Favereau Open the ORCID record for Aude Favereau [Opens in a new window] ,
U Saw Naing Oo ,
Clémence Le Meur Open the ORCID record for Clémence Le Meur [Opens in a new window] ,
Daw Kay Thwe Oo ,
U Arkar Aye ,
Daw Thu Thu Win ,
Kinga Alina Langowska Open the ORCID record for Kinga Alina Langowska [Opens in a new window]  and
Kasper Hanus Open the ORCID record for Kasper Hanus [Opens in a new window]
...Show all authors
T.O. Pryce*
Affiliation:
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7065 LAPA-IRAMAT, UMR 3685 LAPA-NIMBE, CEA/CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91911, France
Baptiste Pradier
Affiliation:
UMR 8068 Technologie et Ethnologie des Mondes PréhistoriqueS
Aude Favereau
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
U Saw Naing Oo
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Clémence Le Meur
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche sur les civilisations d'Asie, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, France
Daw Kay Thwe Oo
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
U Arkar Aye
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Daw Thu Thu Win
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Kinga Alina Langowska
Affiliation:
Emigration Museum Gdynia, Institute of History, University of Gdańsk, Poland
Kasper Hanus
Affiliation:
Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
Yoshiyuki Iizuka
Affiliation:
Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Cloé Georgon
Affiliation:
Ecole du Louvre, Paris, France
Yijie Zhuang
Affiliation:
UCL Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
Cristina Castillo
Affiliation:
UCL Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
Dorian Fuller
Affiliation:
UCL Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
Daw Hlaing Sabai Win
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Daw Han Myo Kyi Aung
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Louis Champion
Affiliation:
UMR DIADE, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
U Myo Minh Oo
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
U Min Naing Oo
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
U Zayar Phyo
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
U Phyo Wai Maung
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Daw Yin Min Myat
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
U Thein Zaw
Affiliation:
Independent scholar, Myanmar
Khun Atiphat Paibool
Affiliation:
Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Khun Varis Domethong
Affiliation:
Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Anna Willis
Affiliation:
College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Charles F.W. Higham
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Thomas F.G. Higham
Affiliation:
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS) Network, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ oliver.pryce@cnrs.fr
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Abstract

Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia more generally. Discussion of 94 radiocarbon determinates, together with site stratigraphy and pottery traditions, provides a chronological sequence from the early third millennium BC to the early second millennium AD. Corroboration of the beginning of this sequence would place Halin as the oldest currently dated Neolithic site in Mainland Southeast Asia and would provide support for the two-layer model of Neolithic migration.

Keywords

Southeast AsiaNeolithicBronze AgeIron AgePyuradiocarbon
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 98 , Issue 397 , February 2024 , pp. 30 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd

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