Review by Choice Review
From eastern India to the islands of Southeast Asia, and from northern China to the coastal regions of Thailand, Higham's book offers the finest synthesis of the archaeological cultures of Southeast Asia. Covering the Neolithic to the Iron Age, Higham treats the importance and spread of rice cultivation in the hands of Austroasiatic speakers, and the origins and spread of bronze technology in each of the regions reviewed. The author makes reasoned attempts to reconstruct the nature of the social order from materials recovered from settlements and cemeteries. A final chapter is comparative and attempts to place the archaeology of this region into a global perspective. The book is well illustrated with numerous line drawings and photographs, and contains an excellent bibliography and index. An indispensable work for those interested in archaeology at all levels. C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky Harvard University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
