ARCH2110 Lands beneath the Winds: Archaeology of Southeast Asia

2020

4.5

1 x 1-hour lecture weekly
1 x 2-hour tutorial weekly

Assignment, Report, Tutorial participation

This topic will provide an introduction to the archaeology of mainland and island Southeast Asia from 1.5 million years ago, to the classic states of the first and early second millennia CE, and the trading polities of the Early modern period.

Emphasis will be given to: human dispersal throughout Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene; the development of agricultural, Bronze and Iron Age cultures; the fluorescence of the agrarian kingdoms of Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam; quickening maritime trade networks associated with increased global trade; and on the cultural legacies of the past for contemporary Southeast Asia.

This topic aims to help students:

• Gain a chronological overview of how cultures in Southeast Asia developed

• Learn the theory, methods, and forms of evidence employed to interpret the archaeology of Southeast Asia

• Consider the relationships between culture, material objects, and human behaviour within Southeast Asia.

On completion of this topic, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Assess the chronological development of cultures in Southeast Asia

2. Discuss the theory, methods, and forms of evidence employed to interpret the archaeology of Southeast Asia

3. Compare Southeast Asian cultures and debate the importance of this region to Australia and the World

4. Construct and present arguments using critical thinking, written, and presentation skills.