Pioneering Research in Thailand and Laos: A Lecture by Dr. Joyce White

Pioneering Research in Thailand and Laos: As one of the leading international institutions investigating the prehistory of Southeast Asia since the 1960s, Penn Museum projects have investigated early metallurgy, early agrarian societies, the stone age, climate change, early historic towns, and more in this relatively new area of archaeological research. Work at Ban Chiang, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, continues to provide new insights into the deep prehistory of the region, as new methodologies are applied to the site’s excavated and ethnographic collections. Dr. Joyce White highlights her collaborations with international colleagues including Thai and Lao scholars in the study of this region’s ancient past. Special emphasis will be on the 2024 Year of Botany when Thai botanists came to Penn Museum to curate ethnobotanical, archaeobotanical, and ethnographic collections.