Bringing culture back into focus: Osseous implements from Southern Vietnam

The comprehensive analyses of osseous technologies in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age of Southeast Asia are relatively undeveloped. The technological and social relevance of osseous implements is poorly understood, despite relatively large assemblages having been recovered from various archaeological sites across the region. By examining the entire assemblage and applying a chaîne opératoire approach, the technological developments and socio-cultural importance of osseous artefacts during these periods can be illuminated. The analysis presented here from the Bronze Age settlement of Lò Gạch, will demonstrate the technological skill invoked to produce a diverse range of implements, and how they can inform on the socio-cultural aspects.This research is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship. The 2014 excavations at Lo Gach was supported by ARC Discovery Grant DP140100384