Issan (or northeastern Thailand) once home to a few ancient civilizations, including those of the Ban Chiang, Dvaravati, Lopburi and Khmer.

The site, in the hamlet of Ban Chiang, was discovered in 1967 and is still being excavated.

Iron and bronze tools, such as found at Ban Chiang, may predate similar tools from Mesopotamia.

The earliest known settlements date to 2100 BC, with Ban Chiang being an excellent example of that early Iron Age culture.

Her son, Stephen, inadvertently discovered an important archeological site in Ban Chiang while walking on a village road in 1966.

Ban Chiang In Ban Chiang, bronze artifacts have been discovered dating to 2100 BC.

This has involved dating the bones from the people who lived at Ban Chiang and the bones of animals interred with them.

The mortuary offerings placed with the dead at Ban Chiang during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages were in fact, few and poor.

Subsequent excavations, including that at Ban Non Wat, have now shown that the proposed early dates for Ban Chiang are unlikely.

Unlike Ban Chiang, Ban Kao's wares were thinner and had a glossy surface finish.