By: Thuy Chanthourn

Abstract

The discovery of Cambodian prehistoric sites by French colonial explorers commenced over one hundred years ago. Little is known about Khmer prehistory and proto-history. This can be attributed to the fact that prehistoric studies are the youngest and least developed branch of Southeast Asian archaeology. Researchers have focused mainly on the significant sites in the Angkor area.

Study of prehistory exists on a small scale and has developed slowly compared with other areas in Southeast Asian countries. To date, this sub-field comprises quite limited knowledge.   Prehistory documents are for the most part, from French colonial times - but even these are few in number. There are many prehistorical sites which give evident of ancient Khmer cities: "Oc Eo or O Keo and Angkor Borei were the capitals of the ancient Funan from between ca. 400 B.C. and A.D. 500, Soboraphuura and Isanaphura was the capitals of ancient Chenla" from between ca. 5th and 8th centuries AD. However, these are not sufficient research on Khmer prehistory. Questions: Where are the origins of the Funan period? Are these Banteay Kou sites part of the emergence of Funan?

The Banteay Kou sites at the east of the Mekong River have proved to be prehistoric sites revealing important in Southeast Asian cultures. Louis Malleret noted seventeen circular earthwork sites; twelve in Vietnam and five in Cambodia. Recently, researchers have noted 23 more in CambodiaVietnam[1]. In total, 43 circular earthwork sites have been documented to date. and 3 more in

There are two words known to local villagers on the eastern side of the Mekong River in the basaltic red soil regions in Cambodia. 'Banteay Kou' means 'fortress enclosed by a ditch' and 'Banteay Borom Boran' means 'ancient fortress'.  The sites are characterised by a circular wall - inside the wall is a ditch, then there is a circular inner platform, which used to be the settlement area. The sites are usually more than 200 meters in diameter. Banteay Kou or Banteay Borom Boran were included in a scientific article of the Bulletin de l'École Française d'Extrême-Orient (BEFEO) for the first time in 1930. After this initial mention, French scholar Louis Malleret studied them in 1959 following the reading of a report by the French Rubber Plantation Company[2]. In 1962,

B.P. Groslier excavated one of these circular structures. In a French article the sites are noted as 'village rond' or 'ouverages circular en terre'. These words translate into Khmer as 'phum moul' (circle-village) or Banteay Kou. As only potsherds and polishing stone artifacts were found at these sites they were supposed to be of the Neolithic Age.

Seven teams carried out research at the Banteay Kou sites.  Until now, there have been only three groups working at these sites. These are: the Memot Center for Archaeology from 1999 (including the author), University of Hawai'i by Mr. Michael F. Dega and RUFA from 1996, and the UniversityTübingen and RUFA from 1996 (including the author). They have combined results to understand more about Memotian Culture. Excavations at the sites unearthed many artifacts that prove through cultural evidence much about the Banteay Kou and their associated culture. Further Banteay Kou have been discovered and documented. Usually, Banteay Kou are situated from about 60 to 185 meters above sea level. There are priorities for the Banteay Kou; they exist close to each other at about two to three kilometers in distance, and are located close to water sources. The sites are located in the red basaltic soil that exhibits a very high acidic content. Testing of the soil indicates a PH lower than 4. Organic materials cannot exist for a long period of time under these conditions. of

February 1997 marked the first excavation post-1980 at the Banteay Kou sites. Geographical horizons are difficult to distinguish in Basaltic red soil. Our excavations of the Banteay Kou respect the archaeological horizons. There are two main archaeological finds seen at Banteay Kou sites. These are lithic objects, such as adzes, axes, chisels, flakes, debris, chips, chunks, and other lithic forms - such as scrapers, polishing stones, pebble tools, lithophones, and bangles. Potsherds are mostly fragments of rims, bodies and bases (not studied in this paper). These artifacts were produced at the sites. They are found at an archaeological layer at between 40 to 80 centimeters in depth. These artifacts prove the level of Memotian Culture was highly civilised.

The construction of Banteay Kou required labors and times. Soil from the ditch would have been used to form the wall and make the edge of the inner platform. To construct a site would require some three-and-a-half months with more than a hundred workers. The construction of the wall acted as protection from enemies or carnivorous animals. The ditch does not contain water; therefore this reservoir must have been used only for trapping or taming domestic animals. The inner platform of the site would have been used as an area for housing. The edge of the ditch is slightly sloping to the centre; and may have been used to herd cattle.

There are five Banteay Kou where samples have been taken for dating. The results show the sites were settled about 2,200BC to about 850BC. With reference to glass bangle fragments found at Krek 52/62, the site could be dated to the Metal Age. There is a folk tale about a war between humans and small deer (see Chapter 2). This may indicate the people settled at the Banteay Kou already possessed the knowledge to use metal. Therefore, the Banteay Kou sites could be dated to between late Neolithic and the following Metal Age.

The finds illustrate the richness of Memotian Culture from the Banteay Kou sites in the red soil regions of the eastern Mekong Basin. This is an important culture for the Southeast Asian region. We are proud that in our region we have confirmed early settlements of the Neolithic and Metal ages prior to the commencement of the Indianised states of Funan, Chenla and Angkor that follow. It is of the greatest importance further research should be undertaken in this region to comprehend more fully the extent and dating of this culture.