Abstract
Phum Snay is a cemetery site representing the Iron Age in northwest Cambodia. Focusing on materials from Location L excavated in 2010, major non-ceramic burial goods ranging from metal implements to glass and stone beads are examined. The Location L of Phum Snay is divided into three phases (Phases II–IV) according to a chronological timeframe based on ceramic vessels. This location is particularly rich in earlier materials belonging to Phases II and III. This earlier period is characterized by large burials associated with a wide range of valuables such as iron weapons, metal ornaments, and large, exotic carnelians. This earlier phases could have been the peak of the Phum Snay community. The range of artifacts found at Phum Snay exhibits a close affiliation to northeast Thailand, while evidence suggesting the connection to the Mekong Delta region is scarce. At the same time, artifact types and elements of burial practice that are unique to Phum Snay suggest local development of sociopolitical complexity.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Yoshinori Yasuda for providing this unexpected opportunity for me to participate in the excavation of Phum Snay. As an archaeologist studying the Pacific, I never imagined myself working in Cambodia, and this experience was insightful. I am grateful to Yoshito Miyatsuka for his support in the field and in Japan. I also would like to thank Heng Sophady, Vuthy Voeun, Ranet Hong, and Kyle Latinis, who helped me in many ways while I was in Cambodia.
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Nojima, Y. (2013). Non-Ceramic Grave Goods of Phum Snay in the Context of Sociopolitical Development in Northwest Cambodia. In: Yasuda, Y. (eds) Water Civilization. Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54111-0_5
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