Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia - (Archaeology of Southeast Asia) by Dougald J W O'Reilly (Hardcover)

About the Book

Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia presents a fascinating synthesis of research on the prehistoric societies of mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on archaeological and historical research, both old and new, Dougald O'Reilly provides a general picture of the events that shape...

Book Synopsis

Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia presents a fascinating synthesis of research on the prehistoric societies of mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on archaeological and historical research, both old and new, Dougald O'Reilly provides a general picture of the events that shaped the region in ancient times, covering the rise of the Pyu civilization in Myanmar, the Mon and Dvaravati kingdoms of Thailand, the early polities of peninsular Malaysia, the Khmer kingdoms of Cambodia, and the rise of Champa in Vietnam. This is a book that will interest both scholars and students of archaeology, anthropology, history, and Asian studies.

Review Quotes

Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia highlights research on the pre- and protohistoric societies of Southeast Asia, with a focus on Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. The civilizations of Southeast Asia have a long and storied history, resulting in the region's complexity in ethnic and linguistic groups. O'Reilly highlights the archaeology and historical research undertaken in the region, both classic and contemporary, to provide a general picture of the events that shaped early Mainland Southeast Asia.

As one who taught South East Asian archaeology for nearly thirty years, I can say that a book such as this would have been a most useful text and teaching aid. I am impressed by the wide-ranging and careful scholarship shown by Dr. O'Reilly and his evaluation of often difficult and sometimes contradictory evidence from historical sources, ethnology, inscriptions and field archaeology.

Dougald O'Reilly's synthesis of mainland Southeast Asia in the first millennium C.E. makes a genuine contribution to research on ancient complex societies. It should stimulate more archaeological interest in the region, both as a source for cross-cultural comparison and as its own field of study.

The work will have wide appeal...the book offers a thorough compilation of recent research in Southeast Asian archaeology. Summing Up: Recommended.

About the Author

Dougald JW O'Reilly is director and founder of HeritageWatch, a non-profit organization dedicated to heritage preservation, and a lecturer at the University of Sydney, Australia.