The people of Noen U-Loke

This is the second volume reporting on our research project entitled "The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor": In 1992, when one of us (R.T.) was appointed to the Phimai office of the Fine Arts Department, we resolved to consider the enigma presented by the many large, moated and banked settlements that are so prolific in the upper Mun Valley. Our initial model saw these sites as dating to the Iron Age, and as such, the immediate precursors to the early states of this area. Our first concern was that the prehistory of this area had been the subject of a lengthy period of research by David Welch and Judith McNeill, and we did not wish to venture into the area where they had been active. With their goodwill, we therefore selected an area immediately to the west of theirs, and began several seasons of site surveys. The moated sites are densely distributed, and we mapped many. In 1995, we decided to begin our excavations at the site of Ban Lum Khao which is, paradoxically, one of the unmoated settlement so far examined. Our choice reflected the clear field evidence for a Bronze Age cemetery, a period we felt it necessary to consider as the precursor to any cultural changes noted in the ensuing Iron Age. Subsequently, we have excavated at Prasat Phimai and he moated sites of Non Muang Kao, Noen U-Loke and Ban Non Wat. The purpose of this volume, is to report the results of our two seasons at Noen U -Loke, and the single season of research at Non Muang Kao. It is a step towards the realisation of our goal, to illuminate the prehistoric societies of the upper Mun Valley during the two millennia of cultural changes that led ultimately to the swift transition to the state as represented at Phimai and beyond, to the civilization of Angkor itself. Future volumes will consider the much larger excavation of Ban Non Wat, at which point, we plan to synthesise all our findings made during 12 years of excavations. We are most grateful, therefore, to our colleagues for contributing their current findings in this part of our report series. Our research at Noen U-Loke proceeded with a permit issued by the National Research Council of Thailand, for which we are indebted. The backing of the Thai Fine Arts Department was also a vital prerequisite to our research. We are most grateful to all our colleagues who worked with us in the field, and who have contributed to this report. Without the good will of the villagers of Ban Nong Na, we could not have worked in their community, and we thank them for their welcome and cooperation. I (C.H.) formatted this publication using the Indesign II program. The Fine Arts Department of Thailand has been most supportive of this research programme, and we are most grateful to Khun Arak Sanghitakul, the Director-General, for authorising the publication of this volume. This research was funded by the Marsden Fund of the Government of New Zealand, and in part by the generous support of the Earthwatch Institute