Recent archaeological discoveries in the Thai–Malay Peninsula, covering Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and the southernmost tip of Myanmar, have provided new insights into the political and social development during the second millennium BC to the first millennium AD. Evidence from Neolithic communities, such as lithic tools, settlement patterns, and mortuary practices, illustrates the expansion of new population groups from China, the adaptation of new social beliefs and subsistence strategies. The Metal Age saw new technological innovations, the circulation of raw materials, and the rise of increasingly complex communities, followed by the expansion of interaction networks to span India and China. By 300 BC, the peninsula became a crucial crossroads for overland and maritime trade routes connecting South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and the Middle East. Archaeological discoveries, including coastal centres, port settlements, religious iconography, ornaments, beads, and imported goods, highlight the rise of city-states, entrepôt systems, and vibrant cultural exchanges. These discoveries not only reshape existing historical narratives but also emphasise the importance of further investigation into understudied sites. We invite contributions that present new research and perspectives on human adaptation, trade and exchange, cultural interaction, and regional integration.