The history and practice of archaeology in thailand

Abstract

Thailand has a long and complex history regarding the investigation of the past through the material remains discovered during the “pre-modern era,” long before the introduction of scientific archaeology in the 19th century. Archaeological tradition in Thailand developed differently than in the west, with close ties to Buddhism and the formation of nation-states. The traditional archaeology of Thailand is a part of history, thus historical approaches are the primary approaches in archaeological research in Thailand. However, modern Western archaeology was introduced after World War II, and consequently, the development of archaeological research in Thailand has been directly influenced and effected by Western archaeology since then.