UNIVERSITY OF HAWArI UB~(AF

287 Pages·2006·7.32 MB·English

UNIVERSITY OF HAWArI UB~(AF<Y
THE CERAMIC CHRONOLOGY OF ANGKOR BOREl, TAKEO PROVINCE,
SOUTHERN CAMBODIA
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
ANTHROPOLOGY
DECEMBER 2003
By
Sovath Bong
Dissertation Committee:
P. Bion Griffin, Chairperson
Miriam Stark
James Bayman
Jefferson Fox
William Chapman
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To complete this dissertation required the assistance
and cooperation of many people including Angkor Borei's
district offices and villagers, leaders and staff of the
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, faculty members of the
Royal University of Fine Arts, and professors, staff and
friends at the University of Hawaii. I thank all the
committee members (Drs. Bion Griffin, Miriam Stark, James
Bayman, Jefferson Fox, and William Chapman) for advice and
constructive criticism on how to make this dissertation
stronger.
I would like to thank professor Bion Griffin, my
committee chairperson, for his class instruction in theory,
methodology, fieldwork, proposal and research design, and
for his endless assistance and support for my graduate
study at the Department of Anthropology, University of
Hawai'i. Dr. Griffin has contributed time to comment and
edit this dissertation. I thank Dr. Miriam Stark who also
taught me both in class and in the field during the
excavation and survey at Angkor Borei. Dr. Stark provided
substantial comments, support and assistance toward the
completion of this dissertation.
ill
Dr. James Bayman taught me archeological laboratory
and statistic programs during my graduate study at the
University of Hawai'i as well as data collection during the
excavation at AB4 in 1996. Dr. Bayman has consistently
provided me with good advice toward the completion of this
thesis. I also would like to thank Dr. Jefferson Fox and
Dr. William Chapman for their continued help and support of
my graduate work in Hawai'i.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Judy Rantala, my
host mother, who has been my friend and provided me with
hospitality during my graduate study in Hawaii. She also
edited the first draft of this dissertation. I thank Jo
Lynn Gunness who helped and guided me in the archeological
laboratory and took photograph some of the ceramic figures
for this dissertation.
I also thank Dr. Miriam Stark, Shah A1am, and Soi
Onsawan for assistance in labeling and recording some of
AB4's ceramic data for this dissertation and Prak Bonamy
for labeling and entering this data. I am grateful to
Dr. Judy Ledgerwood who has supported my graduate study in
Hawai'i. Heng Sophady deserves a large measure of thanks
for drawing some of the ceramic illustrations for this
dissertation.
iv
This dissertation has been funded by various
institutions including the East West Center, Asian Cultural
Council, and Toyota Foundation. I would like personally to
thank Mendl Djunaidy (Associate Dean of Education at the
East West Center,) Cecily Cook (Program Officer of the
Asian Cultural Council, Alan Feinstein (Former Program
Officer at the Toyota Foundation, and Rie Nakamura (Current
Program Officer at the Toyota Foundation) for providing
support during my graduate study in Hawai'i.
v
ABSTRACT
This dissertation reviews several different sources
(i.e., local and foreign documents and archaeological data)
in an effort to define and understand the settlement of
ancient Angkor Borei, Takeo province, Cambodia, between 500
B.C. and A.D. 500. These sources include Chinese
documentaries and inscriptions, and data from an
archaeological excavation (AB4) undertaken in 1996 by the
Lower Mekong Archaeological Project (LOMAP). Based on the
descriptions of early Chinese document records, many Khmer
and non-Khmer historians believe that Angkor Borei may have
been a capital of one the earliest state/kingdoms in
Southeast Asia.
As early as the third century A.D., two Chinese
diplomats documented the kingdom of Funan located west of
Lin-yi in a great bay of the sea. The capitol was 500 li
from the sea. On the basis of this account, many historians
(Coedes, Briggs, Vickery, etc.) speculate that either
Angkor Borei or Ba Phnom was the capitol of the Funan
kingdom and Oc Eo was its international port city. Pierre
Paris, using investigative aerial photography taken by
Victor Goloubew, suggested that there was a canal running
from Angkor Borei to Oc Eo in southern Vietnam.
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The actual site of Angkor Borei as we see it today is
on a floodplain surrounded by a wall and an inner and an
outer moat. A currently occupied village is built on top of
this ancient city. Potsherds and architectural construction
remains are scattered across and below the surface of this
site.
This research presented in this paper is divided into
three phases: 1) a review of our knowledge of the site of
Angkor Borei based on available documents (Chinese written
records, inscriptions, early French archaeological
investigation, etc); 2) classification of the ceramic
collection of Angkor Borei according to shape, form,
decoration, color, wall thickness, paste and other
diagnostic characteristics; and 3) construction of the
chronological sequences of AB4 and the site of Angkor Borei
in general.
Through a study of the ceramic collection from the
AB4's excavation in 1996 and by use of radiometric dates,
this study found six ceramic groups associated with three
chronological phases.
Phase I (500 - 200 B.C.) contains four ceramic
groups, including Burnished Earthenware, Grayware, Slipped
Ware, and Cord-marked Earthenware. Some vessel forms (i.e.,
VB
pedestal bowl, short and tall flare rimmed jar, and
carinated bowls) can also be attributed to Phase I.
Fine Orangeware is the diagnostic ceramic of Phase II
which dates from between 200 B.C. - A.D. 300/200.
Cylindrical shaped vessel is the unique form of ceramic in
the Fine Orangeware group.
Phase III (A.D. 300/200 - 600) contains one ceramic
group, Fine Buffware. This Fine Buffware can be found in
two distinctive forms: Kendi and pedestalled vase.
The results of this typological and chronological
research have the potential of providing information on
gross patterns of local production and manufacturing
traditions through time at Angkor Borei. It will allow the
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia and other
researchers who are interested in the area and the general
time frame (400 B.C - A.D. 500) to develop a more precise
regional chronology of the Lower Mekong region of Cambodia.
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TABLE OF CONTENS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1.1.1.
ABSTRACT vi
LIST OF TABLES . xii
LIST OF FIGURES . xiv
CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM,
OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY, AND BACKGROUND OF ANGKOR
BOREl 1
A Beginning Overview 1
The Research Problem 7
Research Procedure Introduced 14
Dissertation Outline 18
CHAPTER 2: GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION OF ANGKOR BOREl 21
History of Research at Angkor Borei 23
Angkor Borei Today 32
CHAPTER 3: THE HISTORICAL RECORD OF ANGKOR BOREl 38
Information From Documentary Records 38
Legends Relating to the Origin of Funan 41
Ancient Angkor Borei and the Chinese Documents.46
The Kings of Funan 49
The People and Culture 52
Politics and International Relations 55
Information from Pre-Angkor Inscriptions 61
Administration and Social Structure 64
Economic Basis During Funan Period 70
Religion During the Funan Period 73
Art Historical Research at Angkor Borei 77
Architecture of Funan 78
Sculpture from Funan Period 82
CHAPTER 4: PREVIOUS CERACMI STUDIES IN CAMBODIA,
THAILAND, LAOS, AND VIETNAM 89
Cambodia 91
Laang Spean 92
Samrong Sen 97
Mlu Prei 102
Circular Sites 104
Sambor Prei Kuk 109
Laos 113
IX
Thailand 117
Classic Phimai Pottery 121
Chansen 123
Dvaravati Pottery 129
Vietnam 133
Oc Eo Pottery 135
CHAPTER 5: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION AT ANGKOR BOREl
AND DATA COLLECTION 143
The Research Goals 143
Archaeological Fieldwork at Angkor Borei 146
Survey and Mapping 146
Archaeological Excavation at Angkor Borei '" 149
Artifact Collection Strategy 151
Material Cultural Remains 153
Animal Bone and Shell 154
Iron Slag 155
Beads 155
Clay Pellets 156
Potsherds 156
Defining Cultural Phases 157
Cultural Phase I 162
Cultural Phase II 163
Cultural Phase III 165
Interpretation of Test Unit 4 167
CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH METHODOLOGy 170
Sherd Size 171
Sherd Color 173
Texture 173
Vessel Part 174
Vessel Form 175
Rim Profile 182
Slip 184
Surface Treatment 184
Surface Trace 187
Wheel Scars 187
Carbon Core 187
Orifice Diameter 188
Vessel Wall Thickness 188
Ceramic Group 189
CHAPTER 7: RESULT AND CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE 191
Cu1tural Phase I 194
Burnished Earthenware 194
Grayware 204
Slipped Ware 209
x
Cord-marked Earthenware 217
Cultural Phase II 225
Fine Orangeware 225
Cultural Phase III 233
Fine Buffware 233
Summary of Ceramic Chronology 237
CHAPTER 8: COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE ANGKOR BOREl'S
VESSEL FORM WITH OTHER SITES IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST
ASIA 247
Bowl Forms 248
Kendi 254
Lid 257
Cylindrical Shaped Vessel 259
CHAPTER 9: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION 262
Summary 262
Conclusion 267
Recommendation 271
APPENDIX A 273
APPENDIX B 278
BIBLIOGRAPHY 281
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