Of course, fibre-based artefacts (cordage, matting, basketry, textiles) will never eclipse lithics and pottery as principal sources of archaeological data, yet very occasionally new discoveries challenge conventional reconstructions of the prehistoric period. The first papers in this session give us an update on recent archaeological discoveries that present new insights into the origins and early spread of textile technologies in the Indo-Pacific region. But locating and excavating is merely the beginning. The second part of the session will focus on exciting new developments in the analysis of these fragile remains that will not only be of interest to archaeologists but also to archaeobotanists in attendance.

This session is a continuation of the IPPA 2022 session on Caves. The role of Caves in understanding and reconstructing the past, particularly during the prehistoric period, has been significant. Caves have been used in a variety of ways, such as temporary shelters, and burial and ritual sites. The semi-closed system of caves has provided archaeologists with an in situ context of past human activities that most open sites lack. But working in caves also presents different challenges, such as depositional and post-depositional processes and modern disturbance and impact chronometric dating and interpretation. To address these concerns, several new technologies have been used and novel approaches applied in conducting cave archaeology. This session will tackle recent archaeological work on caves in the Indo-Pacific region and will include presentations addressing current archaeological research, new approaches to cave archaeology, and issues and problems encountered when excavating caves.

This session is dedicated to the memory and scholarship of Prof. Elizabeth H. Moore who passed away in 2024. Elizabeth was a familiar face at IPPA, having frequently organised panels that supported Southeast Asian scholars in particular. Her archaeological research, and teaching at SOAS, University of London, allowed her to build lasting relationships with colleagues and students throughout the course of her career.

To celebrate her legacy, this panel will focus on Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, and the theoretical and methodological approaches that Elizabeth developed throughout the course of her career. We therefore invite proposals from scholars working on landscape archaeology, water management systems, remote sensing and LiDAR, and issues surrounding museums, heritage and local curatorial practices in these three countries. Priority will be given to papers that directly relate to these topics and Elizabeth’s areas of research.

The panel is generously supported by the SOAS-Alphawood Group.

Urbanism forms a necessary background to early scripts, texts and ‘historicity’ in the Asia-Pacific region. Writing remains the key feature of modernity and civilization. Yet archaeologically speaking, meaningful mark-making or prehistoric ‘glyphs’ and ‘iconography’ predates the era of scripts by far. However, rock art is seldom regarded as historically relevant in the construction of civilizational temporal depth or structures in formal historiography. This session proposes to include analyses of particular rock art regions and traditions with a focus on the Asia-Pacific. Discussions in this session would, in general, follow the theme that rock art is the first substantial artistic manifestation consisting of self-reflexive ‘records’ and ‘narratives’. It might therefore be regarded as a ‘historical’ phenomenon. Rock art also serves as a temporal reference for further improvisations, underscoring its unique historical nature. Papers submitted to this session, regardless of their extent or focus, should emphasize histories and narratives internal to rock art may be empirically corroborated. Papers with multidisciplinary empirical perspectives are especially encouraged and will be given preference.

Earthen fortifications/ enclosures of hamlets and settlements represent one of the most significant structural features involving technological advancements to function in defence of natural calamities or predators or human interventions in the archaeological record. Such features became regionally emerging, including but not limited to, the Neolithic circular earth work sites in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand) and Harappan towns/ cities embanked on the Indus valley, and massive earthen forts in the areas of Chhattisgarh and beyond (south Kosala) in India etc. This session aims to bring together lesser-known archaeological data from south and Southeast Asia on the earthen fortified features, which can shed light on land use strategies mapped over the hamlets/ settlements/ animal pens with earthen enclosures/fortifications/ embankments belonging to prehistoric and historical periods. The session is particularly interested in those that have applied geospatial tools such as digital and 3D reconstruction models as a core methods to identify the technologies & engineering applied in the construction of earthen enclosures/ embankments. 

The variations and shifts within cognitive ecosystems result from factors that distinguish and alter regional structures, subsequently impacting their systems across time and space. The transformation from ruralisation to urbanization constitutes a multifaceted phenomenon marked by dynamic structural changes. This conceptual framework delves into the historical trajectory of this transition, employing and utilizing a structural approach to comprehend the underlying factors shaping the development of rural and urban landscapes. This pivotal change marked the advent of agriculture as a significant development in human history. Rarely do these narratives delve into the structural intricacies of their formation, exploring the spatial and temporal dimensions within systems. This structural approach aims to offer a nuanced understanding of the underlying forces.

By examining the complex interplay of structural components, this session seeks to unravel the intricacies of progression from predominantly rural to increasingly urban societies. The session’s outcomes, thorough deliberations, are expected to suggest potential modifications to research methodologies and revisit models at a micro scale.

The session will cover the following themes:

1. Economic Structures

2. Settlement Structures

3. Social Structures

4. Administrative/ Political Structures

5. Cultural & Religious Structures

6. Science & Technological Structures

Megalithic cultures in South Asia constitute a significant archaeological phenomenon, distinguished by varied burial practices and monumental stone architecture. These cultures, geographically widespread and spanning from the protohistoric period to the present, demonstrate significant diversity in architecture and are an indicative regional characteristic. This session proposes  to bring together participants to investigate the geographical distribution of megalithic sites, focusing on variations in megaliths, construction techniques, symbolic interpretations across different regions, and the challenges of establishing chronologies. The theme also intends to explore the correlation between environmental factors, access to resources, and settlement patterns in shaping the development and location of megalithic monuments, as well as addressing the relationships between megalithic societies and contemporaneous agricultural and metalworking communities, and analysing the impact of these interactions on megalithic cultural development.

The Bay of Bengal's pre- and early history has received significantly less scholarly attention than the Southeast Asian Seas or the Indian Ocean, despite compelling reasons to consider it a major region for population transfers, plant exchanges, trade goods, and ideas from early periods. James Hornell (1930s) and Waruno Mahdi (1990s) explored these concepts from technological, subsistence and linguistic perspectives. Recent linguistic studies suggest the Thai-Malay peninsula served as an early dispersal point for several Southeast Asian groups entering the Bay of Bengal. The presence of Munda people in eastern India, but originating from the Southeast Asian mainland, provides a key piece of evidence. While archaeological evidence remains sparse, cultural connections are abundant. This panel explores these connections through both direct archaeological evidence and indirect indicators including crops, material culture, and trade goods. Maritime technology receives particular focus, as Austronesian boat building techniques have long been documented along India's East Coast and in the Maldives. The establishment of trade routes through the Isthmus of Kra, eventually extending to Southeast Asia, represents a significant transformation in regional movement patterns, fundamentally altering how populations, goods, and ideas circulated throughout this historically underexamined but culturally rich maritime region.

From the Terminal Pleistocene onwards, there is increasing evidence for dramatic changes in human behaviour throughout South and Southeast Asia with the emergence of new technologies, the increasing management of forests and economically significant plants, and the appearance of large shell mounds and burial grounds that suggest a move towards sedentism. In the islands of Southeast Asia, we also observe an escalation in island mobility, probably related to improvements in maritime technologies. This session seeks presentations that provide new and exciting insights into the dynamic shifts in social, cultural and ideological behaviour, and the emergence of novel technological innovations between the end of the Pleistocene and the arrival and cereal agriculturalists around 4,500 years ago.

Maritime Cultural Heritage in the Indo-Pacific faces increasing threats from coastal development, looting, climate change, and commercial exploitation. In response, a diverse range of strategies are being developed to protect and manage this heritage—strategies that are based not only on international policy and professional practice but also increasingly on inclusive, culturally appropriate, and context-sensitive community-based participatory approaches. This session invites contributions that critically examine policies, legal frameworks, and institutional practices shaping maritime cultural heritage management in the Indo-Pacific, while highlighting community-based participatory methods as culturally appropriate components of sustainable heritage stewardship. We welcome papers that explore co-management models, Indigenous and local custodianship, citizen science, education and outreach initiatives, and other forms of inclusive, context-sensitive collaboration that democratise and decolonise heritage decision-making processes. Papers may also examine the implementation of the UNESCO 2001 Convention, regional or national governance frameworks, ethical challenges, capacity building, and innovations in practice that empower communities and reflect local knowledge systems. By bringing together scholars, practitioners, and community voices, this session aims to demonstrate how collaborative and context-sensitive approaches can enhance the protection of maritime cultural heritage and promote more equitable and resilient futures for the stewardship of the Indo-Pacific’s maritime past.

This session focusses on discussing theoretical and methodological studies of functional and ritual use of ground stone artifacts, encompassing grinding stones, stone adzes, axes and chisels. From the Late Pleistocene onwards, possibly associated with the transition to sedentism there was a significant expansion in the abundance and diversity of ground stone tools with regional spatial and temporal variability. While raw material choices varied regionally, global similarities in technology and typology suggest a shared logic in their production and use. Ground stones continue to appear in both archaeological contexts and indigenous communities through time, reflecting their resilience and cultural relevance. This session explores the multifaceted role of ground stone tools by integrating insights from ethnographic studies, experimental analyses, and archaeological research. Key suggested themes could include technological and typological evolution, the symbolic and practical roles of ground stones in settlement and mobility patterns, as well as the challenges of equifinality addressed through use-wear and residue analyses. Discussion on the use of digital technologies in the analysis of surface morphologies are also encouraged. We highlight ground stone tools as vital artifacts reflecting the enduring connection between people, plants, animals and tools across diverse temporal and spatial contexts.

Ceramics from archaeological sites are among the most common and useful artifacts that archaeologists find and study. Recent advancements in scientific tools and analytical methods have greatly increased the ability of archaeologists to analyse and understand ceramic artifacts from sites. This session aims to bring together specialists applying different analytical methods used to study archaeological ceramics in the Asia-Pacific Region. These methods could include ceramic petrography, X- ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM- EDS), portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), neutron activation analysis (NAA), and many more. These applied methods are useful for determining mineralogical composition, geochemical fingerprinting, provenancing, and identifying the chaîne opératoire in ceramic manufacture, and use of ceramic artifacts from the past. The ultimate goal will be to demonstrate how combining compositional, morphological, geochemical and microstructural analyses can reveal patterns of production, trade and cultural interactions in the Asia-Pacific region. This integrative approach not only enhances our understanding of past human behaviours and technological choices but also contributes to broader regional narratives in archaeology.

Storytelling, both as method and meaning, offers a powerful lens for critically reflecting on whose stories are told in the archaeology of the remote past, and how they are told. This session explores storytelling as a decolonial strategy for interpreting and communicating the ancient human past across the Asia-Pacific. While archaeology has traditionally narrated the “deep past” through material evidence and scientific frameworks, local communities have long preserved and transmitted historical understanding through oral traditions, performance, ritual, and place-based memory. These narrative practices offer richly textured perspectives on ancestral beings, landscapes, and relationships, often challenging dominant archaeological interpretations. This session aims to foster cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue and to promote respectful, community-grounded approaches to understanding local interpretations of the human past in the Asia-Pacific.

We invite contributions that centre local communities’ voices and knowledge systems, exploring how storytelling, oral tradition, and embodied knowledge can reframe archaeological understandings of the remote past. Topics may include narrative-based interpretations of rock art, megalithic monuments, ancestral sites, or ecological relationships, or consist of collaborative research incorporating oral histories and cosmologies, and community-led or co-produced projects. We welcome papers from archaeologists, community researchers, artists, and heritage practitioners.

The subtropical monsoon zone of southern China and northern Southeast Asia is a key region for understanding Pleistocene human survival, adaptation, and dispersal. Yet, for decades, the Palaeolithic record of this area has often been generalized as part of a “pebble tool industry” or “chopper-chopping tool culture,” obscuring its internal diversity and cultural complexity.

In recent years there has been a surge in archaeological discoveries and multidisciplinary research that challenge this outdated paradigm. Excavations and studies across Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and surrounding areas including northern Vietnam and Thailand have uncovered a range of lithic technologies, behavioral patterns, and adaptive strategies dating from the late Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene (ca. 300-10 ka BP). These new findings suggest the presence of distinct regional cultural traditions, shaped by dynamic processes of human migration, environmental adaptation, and technological innovation.

This session aims to bring together archaeological fieldwork, lithic analysis, dating, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and other interdisciplinary approaches to explore the complexity of Paleolithic cultural development in southern China and Southeast Asia. By re-evaluating the role of this region within the broader framework of human dispersal—particularly along the “southern route”—and monsoonal ecological settings, this session will provide new insights into the diversity and significance of human behaviour in subtropical East and Southeast Asia.

The Indo-Pacific region holds one of the richest and most diverse maritime cultural landscapes in the world, encompassing ancient seafaring routes, submerged prehistoric sites, shipwrecks, port settlements, and coastal ritual spaces. Recent advances in underwater technologies, interdisciplinary approaches, and regional collaborations have rapidly expanded the scope of maritime and underwater archaeology across the region. This session seeks to highlight new findings, methodologies, and theoretical contributions that are reshaping our understanding of past human interactions with aquatic environments in the Indo-Pacific.

We invite papers that present recent fieldwork, underwater site assessments, maritime heritage management strategies, or innovative research on navigation, maritime trade, seascape use, and submerged cultural heritage. The session also aims to foster dialogue and will emphasize future directions for the field on the challenges and opportunities in including the integration of maritime archaeology within broader landscape and climate frameworks; the role of local and Indigenous knowledge systems; ethical and inclusive approaches to maritime heritage stewardship, and the need for regional collaboration in capacity-building, policy-making, and data sharing. By bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, this session will explore future directions for a more integrated and sustainable approach to maritime and underwater archaeology in the Indo-Pacific.

Zooarchaeology in the Indo-Pacific region seeks to illuminate the dynamic interplay between humans, animals, and environments across deep time. This session invites papers that explore the full breadth of zooarchaeological inquiry—from subsistence strategies and domestication processes to taphonomic analyses, seasonality studies, and human-animal symbolism. Emphasising integrative approaches, we welcome contributions that combine traditional faunal analysis with isotopic techniques, ancient DNA, morphometrics, spatial modelling, and computational tools. The session aims to foreground regional case studies that highlight cultural continuity and adaptation across coastal, highland, and island ecologies, while also encouraging broader theoretical discussions on resilience, mobility, and environmental change. By weaving together ecological, socio-economic, and ritual dimensions of faunal data, this session aims to deepen our understanding of the prehistoric lifeways unique to the Indo-Pacific, and to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue among archaeologists, ecologists, and ethnographers. Ultimately, the session aspires to position zooarchaeology not only as a tool for reconstructing past diets, but as a lens through which we can interrogate past relationships with the natural world—relationships that remain strikingly relevant today.

Archaeology has made its way into the mainstream of people’s minds as an activity, a stereotype, a metaphor, a process, and an occupation. This is a very different type of cultural outreach than other scientific disciplines. We are surrounded by colourful images of archaeological sites and artifacts in cartoons, folk tales, movies, novels and TV series as a plot device in stories that are not focused on archaeology. As the discipline enhances people’s lives and society in general, its major impact more likely lies in popular culture and entertainment rather than in any noble vision of improving self-awareness through deepening our understanding of historical and prehistoric perspectives. Its social meaning has gone way beyond simple, literal truth about the past. Archaeologists need to precisely understand what everybody else seems to find so irresistible about “their” subject. They also need to ask themselves where they wish to position their subject, their own profession and the role of their institutions in relation to that existing appeal. This session is intended to highlight the contribution of popular culture in all its manifestations to the advancement or detriment of archaeology as an academic discipline and as a brand, with emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region.

Ancient urbanism in South and Southeast Asia followed trajectories that diverge significantly from the more compact, centralised models often drawn from Mediterranean and Near Eastern examples. Monumental temple complexes, dispersed low-density settlements, and extensive hydraulic landscapes demonstrate urban forms in which political, economic, and ritual functions were embedded within dynamic socioecological systems. Moreover, many of these cities often experienced multiple transitions - emergence, reconfiguration, abandonment or even relocation - driven by political conflict, religious transformations, environmental change, and shifting economies. This session examines the pathways of urban transitions in South and Southeast Asia, from initial formation through adaptation and transformation to eventual reorganisation or collapse. We welcome papers that examine urban forms, urban water management, and resilience pathways, as well as those that challenge the applicability of conventional definitions of ‘the city’ to the region.

This session explores the intersections of archaeomusicology, ethnographic inquiry, and artistic expression in interpreting intangible cultural heritage across the Indo-Pacific region. Drawing on interdisciplinary methodologies including organological analysis, experimental reconstructions, ethnohistorical documentation, and the Indigenous epistemologies of sound, we invite papers that examine the ways auditory and performative elements become embedded in archaeological contexts and cultural memory. Papers that bridge methodologies in archaeological science with ethnographic insights to investigate music and musical instruments, ritual acoustics, and performance spaces as both material and symbolic artifacts are especially welcome. This session hopes to foster discussions on archiving and preservation, and the interpretation/ reinterpretation of music and sonic knowledge across time and space.

Topics may include:

• Music in rituals, festivals, and ceremonial practices

• Representations of sound in visual art, ceramics, and iconography

• Theoretical implications of sensory data in reconstructing past soundscapes

• Critical approaches to sonic heritage and cultural expressions rooted in Indigenous musical knowledge systems.