Abstract:
Chronological framework can be used to identify the distribution
of occupation patterns. This study was based on fourteen
radiocarbon samples from the eight excavation pits at Ban Non
Wat and Nong Hua Raet archaeological sites. The chronology of
the cultural layers was developed using AMS radiocarbon dating
to supplement existing data, specifically to examine the dating of
the end of the Iron Age occupation. The objective of this study was
to continue testing the premise that the end of the Iron Age on the
Mun river floodplain in Northeast Thailand that is better defined
as either a singular more or less contemporaneous de-population
event characterized by widespread abandonment of settlements
or a gradual transition from dispersing a rural settlement to more
concentrated urban style of settlement. The results support the
existing chronological framework of the study area and suggest
that the end of the Iron Age in the Mun River valley is better
defined as a gradual transition from dispersed rural settlements
to a more concentrated urban style settlement. Occupation
commenced at the center of the mound of Ban Non Wat during the
Neolithic period, and gradually spread radially to the margin by
the Iron Age. Occupation at the neighboring site of Nong Hua Raet
commenced during the Iron Age period, parallel to that at Ban
Non Wat.
