Paper short abstract:

The 1998 excavation of a prehistoric cemetery at Nyaung’gan stimulated substantial international interest in Myanmar’s Bronze Age. The MAFM’s 2014 and 2015 excavations of a Bronze Age cemetery near Oakaie village provide a preliminary radiometric chronology for the Nyaung’gan culture area.

Paper long abstract:

The 1998 excavation of a prehistoric cemetery at Nyaung'gan by the Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Culture 30 km north of Monywa, stimulated substantial international interest in Myanmar's Bronze Age. The site was thus attributed due to the presence of copper-base artefacts coupled with the absence of ferrous and glass; the latter material classes associated with the regional Iron Age. Radiometric determinations were not possible at the time but the date was estimated at 1500 to 1000 BC.

The dating of the Southeast Asian Bronze Age has been radically revised in recent years thanks to a large scale programme of radiocarbon dating using ultrafiltration techniques with Bayesian data processing. Where Myanmar fits in the regional trend is of critical importance for understanding the direction and speed of metallurgy's adoption in Southeast Asia, and its subsequent social impacts. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons the Mission Archéologique Française au Myanmar has been excavating a, seemingly, Bronze Age cemetery near Oakaie village, only 2.5 km from Nyaung'gan in order to provide a preliminary chronology for the Nyaung'gan culture area.

The Oakaie cemetery has two phases, the earlier of which is comparable in burial practice and material culture to that known from Nyaung'gan. In the absence of any recovered macro or micro charcoal, thirteen human bone collagen samples were submitted. All failed. We subsequently attempted to AMS 14C date the mineral (carbonate apatite) fraction of these bones. These results finally place central Myanmar within the Southeast Asian Bronze Age sequence.

Paper short abstract:

This paper aims first to characterise pottery traditions at Oakaie burial site, then to compare with Nyaung’gan Bronze Age cemetery pottery assemblage.

Paper long abstract:

The burial site of Oakaie is located few kilometers away from Nyaung'gan Bronze Age cemetery. Excavations conducted in Oakaie revealed two phases for inhumations. Based on a technological approach, this paper aims to characterize ceramics for each phase. Technological and stylistical comparisons between Oakaie and Nyaung'gan pottery assemblages can help defining the nature of relations between the two sites and refining Nyaung'gan chronology.

Paper short abstract:

Chemical analysis of glass bead manufacturing waste from Mu Pon, southern Myanmar, suggests bead production from the last century BCE to the first centuries CE, making Mu Pon by far the earliest glass bead production site in Myanmar, linked by sea to South India and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Paper long abstract:

A recent survey in Mu Pon village, south of Mawlamyaing in the Mon State, revealed extensive looting in several areas. One large pit had contained, in addition to a reported thousands of beads, a group of broken tubes and fragments that the villagers had not been able to sell. We examined over 600 specimens, most directly related to glass bead production, and selected a representative group of 131 samples for chemical analysis by LA-ICPMS in an attempt to get some idea of the date and possible importance of the site. Just over half of the samples were potash glass, indicating a probable Southeast Asian origin, with most of the remainder moderate-to-high alumina soda glass typical for South Indian production; exceptionally, there were also two fragments of Roman natron glass. The materials included just two bracelet fragments, identical typologically and chemically to those produced at Khao Sam Kaeo in peninsular Thailand. By comparison with glass from other sites in Myanmar and Thailand, we conclude that this Mu Pon glass represents the remains of bead production from the last century BCE to the first few centuries CE, making Mu Pon by far the earliest documented glass bead manufacturing site in Myanmar, active at the same time as such sites as Phu Khao Thong and Kapoe in Ranong Province, Thailand. These results provide strong evidence that Mu Pon was economically and technologically integrated into early long-distance exchange networks that included both South India and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Paper short abstract:

Myanmar has been under-represented in the reconstruction of late prehistoric Southeast Asian metal and glass exchange networks. The Bronze and Iron Age cemetery assemblages excavated by MAFM offer an excellent opportunity to position Myanmar within regional and inter-regional socio-economic interactions.

Paper long abstract:

The last fifteen years have seen significant advances in the reconstruction of late prehistoric Southeast Asian metal and, from the Iron Age, glass exchange networks. In the absence of detailed ceramic typologies this research has much improved our understanding of regional and inter-regional socio-economic interactions. Unfortunately, Myanmar has been heavily under-represented in these studies.

The Mission Archéologique Française au Myanmar has been excavating Bronze and Iron Age cemeteries around Mandalay since 2001. The resulting assemblages, including glass mostly in the forms of beads and copper alloys in the form of wire bundles, offer an excellent opportunity to integrate Myanmar's exchange patterns with those of its contemporary neighbours. An in depth study of these materials was recently conducted combining typological description, compositional and isotopic analysis.

The glass results indicate the presence of two major types known from regional sites of the 4th to the 2nd c. AD. These groups were refined by lead, strontium and neodymium isotope measurements on a small subsample, which indicate possible glass provenances from Northeastern India and Northern Vietnam. The style of the beads seems local. Analysis of the metal wire bundles indicates a homogeneous 'pure' copper composition, which, lacking regional matches, is suggestive of a new primary production signature. The sole Bronze Age artefact, an axe, does not match any known regional sources.

Paper short abstract:

The paper will focus on the Pali inscriptions from Bagan and their bearing on our understanding of the city as a Buddhist cosmopolis.

Paper long abstract:

Research on Bagan during the past two decades has shown that the city was a nodal point of an - at times closely knit - network connecting Buddhist communities around the Bay of Bengal and the Southeast Asian mainland, the role of the city as a transcultural centre of monastic learning and scholarship has hardly been recognized. The Buddhist cosmopolis Bagan was home to monks from India, Sri Lanka, Malaya and apparently the Khmer empire as well, for all of whom Pali served as a lingua franca. With two recent find adding to an already impressive list, Bagan is home to probably the largest number of Pali inscriptions anywhere in medieval (and possibly pre-modern) Asia. The paper will introduce the newly-found Pali inscriptions and discuss their bearing on the formation of the Buddhist cosmoplois.

Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to explore the local and interregional dimensions of the Buddhist images in early Myanmar (6th-13th c. CE) by looking at the iconographic material provided by the known Buddhist moulds and tablets from this area.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims to explore the local and interregional dimensions of the Buddhist images in early Myanmar (6th-13th c. CE) by looking at the iconographic material provided by the known Buddhist moulds and tablets from this area. Do the images match with the traditional art history timeline of Myanmar? How can they relate to the defined cultural groups and to the religious entities? What can it tell about the development of the Buddhist culture of representation and the dynamics of influences?

Through the presentation of different cases, we shall attempt to question the nature and affiliation of the Buddhist images on moulds and tablets. It is furthermore an opportunity to review different examples of moulds and interregional tablets from Myanmar.

Paper short abstract:

This presentation would look at a few clay tablets recovered from cave sites in Myanmar and housed in various museums which betray a strong connection with Bodhgaya, India. The cave sites are Kawgoon in lower Myanmar, Kyankku, near Pagan and Tagaung in northern Myanmar.

Paper long abstract:

Myanmar-Bodhgaya linkage : Clay Moulded Tablets and Related Issues

Suchandra Ghosh

suchandra64@gmail.com

The connected history of Bodhgaya and Myanmar has been so well articulated over the years from varied angles that it needs no further reiteration. There was constant movement of Buddhist monks and people among the two regions. It was in fact a dialogue that involved a rich exchange of literary, religious and artistic ideas. Bodhgaya as a pilgrimage destination even now is most coveted by the Myanmarese monks and lay population. This circulation of monks and people resulted also in the circulation of ideas and ritual practices. Among the ritual practices, offering of clay moulded tablets was an extremely important one which spread across Asia. These tablets were however not just objects of merit. They could be studied from the perspective of different motifs, art styles, style of writing, and its use in society as a ritual object. This presentation would look at a few such tablets recovered from cave sites in Myanmar, housed in various museums, which betrays a strong connection with Bodhgaya, India. The cave sites are Kawgoon in lower Myanmar, Kyankku, near Pagan and Tagaung in northern Myanmar. Though the adaptation of the Buddha seated within Bodhyagaya temple motif holds a crucial clue to the interaction, yet there are other areas also like manufacturing technique, representation of images, iconography etc. which would be brought under consideration while understanding linkages.

Paper short abstract:

Excavations by the joint Department of Archaeology-Cambridge team have taken place at Sri Ksetra from 1 January-27 February 2015. They ave been working at two sites in the area of the Yahanda Gu outside the southwest of the city. The first aims at uncovering the ancient record of monumental structures in the immediate vicinity of the Yanhanda Gu, which was heavily restored in 1964; the second has uncovered and selectively excavated the first habitation site. This paper presents a preliminary report on the work of the first season's excavations.

Paper long abstract:

Excavations by the joint Department of Archaeology-Cambridge team have taken place at Sri Ksetra from 1 January-27 February 2015. They ave been working at two sites in the area of the Yahanda Gu outside the southwest of the city. The first aims at uncovering the ancient record of monumental

structures in the immediate vicinity of the Yanhanda Gu, which was heavily restored in 1964; the second has uncovered and selectively excavated the first habitation site. This paper presents a preliminary report on the work of the first season's excavations.

Paper short abstract:

The paper summarizes recent survey of kilns in and around Muttama/Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) in the context of the growing scholarship on kiln sites in Twante, Bago (Pegu), Mawlamyaing and Karen State from fieldwork over the past year.

Paper long abstract:

The paper summarizes recent findings from survey in Mon State in February 2015. Our survey team visited numerous on the cities of the first millennium CE 'Suvannabhumi' culture. This was complemented by study of the Hanthawaddy period, c. 15-17th Bago Divisions, and the Mon and Karen States. Preliminary observations are offered on the parallels to kiln sites in Thailand and Cambodia, with some of the Mon sites displaying a possible links to Sukhothai production.

The report is the outcome of a collaborative project including Elizabeth Moore, San Win, Mamoru Shibyama, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Susumu Morimoto, Tomo Ishimura, Yuni Sato, Akiko Tashiro, Surat Lertlum and Pyiet Phyo Kyaw. We thank the Ministry of Culture and the Mon State Government as well as our respective institutions for their support.

Paper short abstract:

Kogun Cave is a natural grotto in an isolated limestone hill. The rock cliff and the cave are richly decorated with rows of votive tablets in terracotta, figures of Buddhas, architectural elements, mythical creatures and floral motifs. Many travelers visited Kogun Cave in the 19th and 20th century. It is mentioned that the arts of Kogun Cave can be dated to around the 7th century, however few studies have been made thus far. This paper will explain the origin and influence of the arts left in the Kogun cave.

Paper long abstract:

The site of Kogun is situated in southern Burma; about 40 km north of Moulmein, the capital of the state of Mon. Kogun Cave is a natural grotto in an isolated limestone hill, consisting of an entrance hall and the cave itself. The rock cliff of the entrance hall, as well as the ceiling of the cave, is richly decorated with symmetrical rows of votive tablets in terracotta, with figures of Buddha in several positions. Divinities, mythical creatures as well as architectural elements and floral motifs can also be found.

Many travelers visited Kogun Cave in the 19th century. John Crawfurd was the first European to visit the cave in 1826, followed by Howard Malcom and Father Judson in 1835. Then Taw Sein Ko made a trip to the site in 1892, followed by Major R.C. Temple and F. O. Oertel in the same year. Other travelers were G.W. Birds in 1897 and Scott O’Conor in 1902. It is mentioned that the arts of Kogun Cave can be dated to around the 7th century, however few studies have been made thus far.

The region of Lower Burma was a under Mon-Khmer rule (6th-10th century) then under the Burmese (11th century) followed by the Siamese rule (14th century) and again in late 17th and 18th century when the Burmese established their suzerainty. Traditions say that because of the numerous wars, palm-leaf records were lost. This paper will explain the origin and influence of the arts left in the Kogun cave.

Paper short abstract:

The research and archiving of a unique repository of several hundred 19th century Burmese reverse glass paintings at Wat Chong Klan in NW Thailand.

Paper long abstract:

The presence of intriguing reverse glass paintings ("RGPs") of Burmese provenance in several American and European collections, prompts me to further explore the origins of this tradition in Buddhist Mainland Southeast Asia.

As we know, this art form travelled from Europe to China where in the eighteenth century it was first adopted by Chinese artisans from European examples brought by Jesuits missionaries. Originally on mostly secular subjects, subsequent to its introduction to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia by Chinese traders, local artisans there soon adapted this technique nearly entirely to religious content.

More extensive study of a remarkable installation of several hundred individually painted glass panes, each c. 30 x 30 cm and still in situ in a Shan Buddhist Temple near the Thai-Burmese border, should assist in contextualizing this art form, on which the existing scholarly research is very slender.

We will discuss our work at Wat Chong Klang in Thailand in conjunction with other examples from Myanmar proper, from Thailand and from Cambodia. This exploration should illuminate a range of Buddhist practices within Myanmar, and more generally on the Chinese diaspora painters who established workshops and studios throughout Southeast Asia.

Paper short abstract:

In Myanmar, open-fired pottery is produced and used daily. Previous research revealed a close relationship between wet-rice agriculture and the style of open-firing in which the pottery is covered in kindling. Additionally, it has also been suggested that the method of firing has no relation to ethnicity in Myanmar. In this presentation, I will introduce the pottery making technology of two villages and further analyze the relationship between firing, agriculture, and ethnicity.

Paper long abstract:

In Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, open-fired pottery is used daily as water jars and cooking pots. Previous ethnoarchaeological research on the open-fired pottery of Southeast Asia has suggested a connection between wet-rice cultivation and the method of firing with a covering of kindling. Additional research has suggested that the method of pottery firing in Myanmar is not related to ethnicity. The question still remains, however, whether pottery-making techniques or methods of firing are truly related to agriculture or ethnicity. In this presentation, I shall introduce the pottery-making technology of two villages I analyzed; one of them is a farming village that cultivates rice and the other is a farming village that does not. Furthermore, I will analyze the relationship between firing methods, cultivation, and ethnicity by comparing these villages, in addition to villages researched previously.