The 2024 ISEAA Newsletter is here, with articles on the Ban Chiang Project’s Year of Botany, including visits from Thai experts in botany and ethnography, Thai students, and an archaeobotanist based in London. Our progress came in three areas: Ethnobotany, Archaeobotany, and the Ethnographic Collection. The ethnobotanical project identified and mounted more than 1000 plant specimens collected in and around Ban Chiang village by Joyce White in 1978-1981, where she also documented the local knowledge and use of plants. Much of this knowledge, and even the plants themselves, are disappearing from the region as Thailand modernizes.
The archaeobotanical research program dealt with the recovery of macro- and micro-botanical remains from sediments (otherwise known as dirt) excavated at the site of Ban Chiang in 1974-1975. This involved a great deal of splashing about with water in the Museum courtyard, as buckets of water were poured over sieves containing sediment, revealing the macrobotanical residue. In addition, two Thai student interns collected phytolith samples for future investigation.
Lastly, the ethnographic collection was established when in 1981 the Penn Museum tasked Joyce White with purchasing a wide variety of objects used in daily village life, from pottery beaters to ox-carts. This year, Dr. Joyce brought over Nichanan Klangwichai (Mew), an Isaan (Northeast Thailand) material culture specialist, to help curate and expand the documentation of the collection. The highlight of the endeavor was working with two Lao residents of Philadelphia to re-assemble two large looms. The ethnographic collection can be seen here. To see a video of Mew’s experiences in Philadelphia, go here.