2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Archaeological Studies on the Metal Resources and their use in the Mekong Basin
| Project/Area Number |
14251016
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
考古学(含先史学)
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| Research Institution | Kagoshima University |
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Principal Investigator |
NITTA Eiji Kagoshima University, Faculty of Law, Economics and the Humanities, Professor, 法文学部, 教授 (00117532)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
NEDACHI Munetomo Kagoshima University, Faculty of Science, Professor, 理学部, 教授 (10107849)
WATANABE Yoshiro Kagoshima University, Faculty of Law, Economics and the Humanities, Professor, 法文学部, 教授 (10210965)
NAKAMURA Naoko Kagoshima University, Center for Archaeological Studies, Associate Professor, 埋蔵文化財調査室, 助教授 (00227919)
SHINZATO Takayuki Kagoshima University, Center for Archaeological Studies, Research Associate, 埋蔵文化財調査室, 助手 (40325759)
KOBAYASHI Seiji Kokugakuin University Tochigi College, Department of Japanese History, Associate Professor, 日本史学科, 助教授 (30284053)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2005
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| Keywords | Mekong Basin / Iron / Copper / Bronze / Smelting / Lead isotope analysis |
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| Research Abstract |
By our field surveys in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos in the Mekong Basin, we conducted archaeological research on the site of metal working and the iron and copper mines to collect the samples and the archaeological information on the metal resources and the use of metal in the area above mentioned from 2002 to 2006. We also made metallurgical analysis of the metal and ore samples.
The metallurgical analysis of the iron ax we collected at Snay site, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia showed that it was made from the iron ore mined in Battambon area, west Cambodia.
In Thailand, we analyzed the iron slag and the iron ore collected at the iron smelting sites and the iron mines in central and northeast Thailand. We can suppose that they smelted iron from hematite in central Thailand, and from iron nodules in some areas lacking of iron ore nor sand iron in northeast Thailand according to the result of the analysis. On copper and bronze, we carried field surveys at Khao Thap Kwai copper mine and Non Pha Wai copper smelting site in central Thailand, and Phu Lon copper smelting site in northeast Thailand. A lot of samples of copper ore, copper slag and bronze artifacts were collected at the sites of central, north and northeast Thailand. We operated the metallurgical analysis of them. The results of lead isotope analysis of the firstly operated in Southeast Asia, made clear that they smelted copper by using different copper ores from different mines, and that the copper and copper ore from Phu Long in northeast Thailand were used to make the bronze ornaments found at Ban Don Phlong site and the bronze drums found in Sukhotai and Don Tan.
In Vietnam and Laos, we collected the samples of molds for casting bronzes, bronze halberds and bronze drums. The Heger 1 type drums we examined I Laos during our survey are the same type as the drums found in Laos and the Mekong Basin. They have big bodies and the tympanons decorated by plural belts of flying birds and birdmen.
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Research Products
(12 results)
