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10,000 Years Ago in Southeast Asia

An archaeological site at a village in northern Vietnam, Hoabinh, has given its name to one of the oldest widespread cultures in the region--Hoabinhian. Hoabinhian sites, dated to 11,000 years ago, have been found through southeast Asia. As with any ancient site, finds of soft material, like plants, wood or cloth are rare. Especially in wet climates these materials rot away very quickly. Archaeologists and historians usually have to rely on more durable objects like bone, rock or pottery to tell about a civilization, but of course, these few elements can only tell a small part of the story.

Hoabinhian people used tools made from bone or stone, like axes. Hoabinhian sites have been found in caves and in coastal "garbage dumps". Called middens, these dumps mostly consist of shells from clams, crabs and other seafood these people ate, but in between all the shells are other artifacts that were lost or thrown away. Hoabinhian people had begun to grow some plants for food by around 8000 BC, and by 6000 BC had begun to use pottery, although finds from these early sites are rare. Pottery came into more common use later on.

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