Salt-making in Northeast Thailand – An Ethnoarchaeological Study in Tambon Phan Song Khram, Nakhon Rachasima Province, Northeast Thailand
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Abstract
Introduction
The Mun River Valley of Northeast Thailand has been the focus of numerous archaeological excavation projects over the last two decades as part of the Origins of Ankgor project, a multi-disciplinary, cooperative project between the Thai Fine Arts Department, the University of Otaga, New Zealand, and James Cook University, Australia (Higham & Thosarat 2005; Higham, Kijngam & Talbot 2007; Higham & Kijngam 2009, 2010, 2012). Since 2002, the project has conducted excavations in the village of Ban Non Wat, a small rural community with cultural remains dating back over 4,000 years, exposing numerous archaeological features, burials and artifacts, and greatly contributing to our understanding of the development of the local society and economy over time. Over the last few seasons, under the direction of Dr. Nigel Chang, Dr. Kate Dommett, Dr. Bill Boyd, Dr. Warrachai Wiriyaromp and Dr. Amphan Kijngam, the project has expanded its scope to study the broader cultural landscape of the region and the changing interrelationship of humans with their natural resources and environment. This new direction has included ethnoarchaeological research on local salt resources and salt-making, in order to gain a greater understanding of the diachronic importance of this natural resource and commodity in the region. This paper presents the results of a 2010 ethnoarchaeological study in Tambon Phan Song Khram, Nakhon Rachasima Province, Northeast Thailand. It is a small sample study of the local technology of salt making and the use and trade of salt in Northeast Thailand, as part of a broader on-going study on the history of salt production in Southeast Asia.
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