S10-1

The Social Impact of Copper-Base Metallurgy: A Case Study From Ban Non Wat

Charles Higham1 & Rachanie Thosarat2

1Otago University, New Zealand

2Fine Arts Department, Thailand

Ban Non Wat is one of a handful of sites where there was a seamless transition from the Neolithic into the Bronze Age. This makes it possible to document developments in mortuary rituals that reflect social change. Since the sequence at this site encompasses the complete span of the Bronze Age, one can further trace the châine opératoire of copper-base metallurgy over a period of five phases dating between ca. 1050-450 BCE.