Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    New dates for old kilns: A revised radiocarbon chronology of stoneware production for Angkorian Cambodia
    (Cambridge University Press, 2018) ; ; ;
    Stark, Miriam T
    ;
    Ea, Darith
    ;
    Chhay, Rachna
    ;
    Kaseka, Phon
    ;
    Suy, Tan Boun
    Radiocarbon dates from recent excavations of a range of Angkorian Khmer (~9th-14th CE) stoneware kiln complexes provide a new and independent perspective on the timing and geography of Khmer ceramic production. These data demonstrate a clear two-phase sequence. The first, in the late 9th to late 12th centuries CE, marks a period of intensive production located both to the east of Angkor and to the south at Cheung Ek, south of Phnom Penh. A second shorter phase of production occurred in the late 13th to late 14th CE at more distant provincial settings following the collapse of the Angkorian state.
  • Publication
    Centralized power/decentralized production? Angkorian stoneware and the southern production complex of Cheung Ek, Cambodia
    (Academic Press, 2021-01) ; ;
    Phon, Kaseka
    ;
    Heng, Piphal
    ;
    Stark, Miriam T
    ;
    Marsh, Ben
    ;
    Ea, Darith
    ;
    Chhay, Rachna
    ;

    In this paper we highlight the potential of compositional characterisation (NAA) of Khmer stonewares for understanding regional economic development in the Angkorian Empire (c. 9 th - 15 th c CE). A central feature of the Angkorian economy was the precocious development of sophisticated craft industries. Of the multiple crafts produced in this empire, stoneware production stands out for two reasons: empire transport networks closely articulated with the location of stoneware production complexes best known in central Angkor and on the Khorat plateau northwest of Angkor; and distribution/consumption patterns of Angkorian stoneware map directly onto the empire's geopolitical extent. As part of a larger geochemical provenancing project concerned with Khmer stoneware production and exchange, we present and discuss results for Cheung Ek, a southern Cambodian provincial complex for production of both stoneware and earthenware. The similarities (shared local resources) and differences in the organization of local production are striking between stoneware and earthenware production. Comparison with previously published Khmer stoneware kiln complexes confirms that each has a unique and readily identifiable geochemical profile. By establishing a geochemical baseline this work highlights the potential of stonewares for developing a deeper understanding of Khmer craft production and distribution dynamics in future comparisons between stoneware production, Khmer settlement and ritual contexts. This elemental baseline will also enable future evaluation of the potential discriminating power of other, field deployable but less sensitive non-destructive analytic techniques such as pXRF and pLIBS, particularly in relation to extending this work to checking production origins of complete Khmer stoneware vessels held in museum collections.