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307 Early Glass Trade in South and Southeast Asia Chapter 24 Early Glass Trade in South and Southeast Asia: New Insights from Two Coastal Sites, Phu Khao Thong in Thailand and Arikamedu in South India Laure Dussubieux, James W. Lankton, Bérénice Bellina-Pryce and Boonyarit Chaisuwan Abstract This is a study of 64 glass artifacts from the site of Phu Khao Thong, Thailand (possibly 2nd century BC–4th century AD), on the west coast of the upper Thai-Malay Peninsula, using the technique of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to measure major, minor and trace elements within the glass. Comparison of these results with those from contemporaneous sites, and especially with the site of Arikamedu on the southeastern coast of India, revealed the presence of three different spheres of exchange that were active from the 3rd / 2nd century BC to 4th century AD in this region. Results suggest that Phu Khao Thong and Arikamedu did not manufacture glass but instead may have been points of entry into South and Southeast Asia for two different glass types (as raw materials and / or finished ornaments) that were then redistributed to inland sites. Introduction Arikamedu is an archaeological site located on the southeastern coast of India. It was excavated several times (Wheeler et al. 1946; Casal 1949) and the most recent excavation has established that Arikamedu was occupied around the beginning of the 2nd century BC (Begley 1996). It was a trading port as well as an industrial center where beads (among other goods) were manufactured. Metal, hard stones and glass were materials employed to produce beads. One of the most interesting features of Arikamedu is the presence of artifacts, such as terra sigillata pottery, amphorae or glass ribbed bowls, coming from the Mediterranean region. The absence of similar artifacts at more inland South Indian sites suggests that these exotic objects were not for trading but instead were brought to Arikamedu by travelers from the Roman world for their own usage. Peter Francis Jr (1991) gave this site the central role for the production of drawn beads in South India: Arikamedu was seen as one of the main drawn bead procurement centers for South and Southeast Asia until the 2nd century AD. Beads and glass fragments from Arikamedu were analyzed with different analytical techniques (Subramanian 1950; Lal 1952; Tornati and van der Sleen 1960; Lamb 1966; Singh 1989; Glover and Henderson 1995; Brill 1999; Dussubieux 2001; Hancock 2011), showing the presence of different types of glass. However the interpreting of these results was difficult due to the absence of comparative data. The recent excavation of the site of Phu Khao Thong (PKT) on the other side of the Bay of Bengal in the Kra Isthmus area of Thailand (Boonyarit Chaisuwan 2007; Boonyarit Chaisuwan and Rarai Naiyawat 2009) and a series of surveys conducted by the Thai-French Archaeological Mission revealed a manufacturing site contemporaneous with the early occupation phase at Arikamedu. This data fuels a re-evaluation of the Indian site. Indeed, the chemical analysis of the glass material found at PKT and Arikamedu shows strong similarities between the two, shedding new light on the exchange between South India and Thailand. This paper focuses on the results obtained from the study of 64 samples from PKT using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The discussion following 307 Crossing Borders hi res combined307 307 8/23/2012 7:48:18 PM 308 Laure Dussubieux, James W. Lankton, Bérénice Bellina-Pryce and Boonyarit Chaisuwan the description of the different chemical groups identified at PKT will be developed along two lines: identification of the different trading spheres involving glass in South India and Southeast Asia for a period ranging from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD, and re-interpretation of the role of Arikamedu for the glass and glass bead production and trade in South India in the light of the new results from PKT. Phu Khao Thong Phu Khao Thong is part of a trading complex including several other sites located in the Sukhsamran district, Ranong province, on the Andaman coast [Figs. 24.1 and 24.2]. Based on the material collected at the site, PKT was dated between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD. A sherd with a TamilFig . 24.2: The site of Phu Khao Thong (Photo: Boonyarit Chaisuwan). Fig. 24.1: Map of the sites mentioned in the text (Map: A. Reinecke). Crossing...

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