The original aim, and continuing concern, of the project has been to investigate the relationship between the Iron Age Sa Huynh Culture of central Vietnam (c. 600 BC - AD 200), best known for its coastal jar burials, and the culture of the Cham people which developed in the same region from the early first millennium of the Christian Era. Whereas earlier French researchers were inclined to see little connection between them, more recent Vietnamese archeologists have argued that the Cham Civilization evolved from Sa Huynh following the adoption of certain Indian religious and socio-political traditions which came to Southeast Asia via the maritime trade routes then starting to link India with China. preliminary analyses of the results - primarily pottery and other small finds - from four seasons of survey and excavation between 1993 and 1997 suggest that there is little continuity between the two cul tural traditions, but rather a sharp break, or at least a rapid transformation since it is also clear that the earliest settlement at Trà Kiêu overlaps in time with the end of the Sa Huynh Culture in the area.

 

 

 

The excavations at three locations in the ancient city of Trà Kiêu also show that the earliest occupation there goes back to the beginning of the Christian era, if not somewhat earlier, and that, on the basis of several radiocarbon dates, the bulk of the startified assemblages can be dated to between about AD 200 and 600, earlier than we had expected. In the excavations made to date we have found little evidence which can certainly be related to the period of the temples excavated by Claeys, which probably dated to between the 8th-12th centuries and this apparent gap in the archeological record is a problem to be investigated in future seasons.

 

We intend to complete the investigations with a major monograph on the research and in the meantime list the preliminary publications and those in press.

A Wordwide Web site (<http:/lwww.ucl.ac.uk-tcfs vietnam.htm>) gives some further details of the pi Glover, I. C.1995.The Emergence of Cham Civiliz (Vietnam) and this will soon be updated in 1998.

Yamagata, M. & I.C. Glover 1994: Excavatio: Bum Chau Hill, Trà Kiêu, Vietnam 1993, Joura Southeast Asian Archeology 14 : 48-57.

Glover, I.C. 1995. Decorated roof tiles from an Sitnhapura - an early Cham city in Central Vietnam. dies and Reflections on Asian Art History and Art logy - Essays in Honour of H.S.H. Professor Su dadis Diskul. Bangkok, Silpakorn University :311

Glover, I.C. and M. Yamagata 1995. The Origit Cham Civilization : indigenous, Chinese and In influences in Central Vietnam as revealed by e vations at Trà Kiêu, Vietnam 1990 and 1993. Arc logy in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong, Hong University Museum and Art Gallery : 145-170.

Yamagata, M. 1997. The formation of Lin Yi ; ved from the archaeological materials of Chi: origin found at Trà Kiêu, Central Vietnam. Jou of Southeast Asian Archaeology 17, 1997 (6) Japanese with 3 page English summary)

Glover, I.C. and M. Yamagata 1997. Excavatior Buu Chau Hill, Trà Kiêu,Vietnam 1993: Sa Hu' Chain and Chinese influences. In P. Y. Manguin Southeast Asian Archaeology 1994 Vol.1, pp.167-

Prior, R. 1997. The ceramics from early historic s in Vietnam. In P. Y.Manguin (ed.) Southeast A: Archaeology 1994 Vol.1, pp. 94-110, Universitl Hull : Centre of Southeast Asian Studies.