Archaeological Studies on the Metal Resources and their use in the Mekong Basin

通过在柬埔寨、泰国、越南和老挝湄公河流域的实地考察，我们对上述地区的金属加工和铁铜矿遗址进行了考古研究，收集了2002至2006年间上述地区金属资源和金属用途的样本和考古资料。我们还对金属和矿石样本进行了冶金分析。我们在柬埔寨暹粒省Snay遗址收集的铁斧的冶金分析表明，它是从柬埔寨西部马德邦地区开采的铁矿石制成的。在泰国，我们分析了从泰国中部和东北部的炼铁地点和铁矿收集的铁渣和铁矿石。根据分析结果，我们可以推测他们是从泰国中部的赤铁矿和泰国东北部一些缺乏铁矿石和砂铁的地区的铁结核中冶炼铁的。在铜和青铜方面，我们在泰国中部的Kao Thap Kwai铜矿和非Pha Wai铜冶炼场地以及泰国东北部的Phu Lon铜冶炼场地进行了实地考察。在泰国中部、北部和东北部的遗址收集了大量的铜矿、铜渣和青铜文物样本。我们对它们进行了金相分析。首先在东南亚运营的铜同位素分析结果表明，他们使用不同矿山的不同铜矿冶炼铜，泰国东北部富隆的铜和铜矿被用来制造班顿弗龙遗址的青铜饰品和苏霍泰和唐丹的铜鼓。在越南和老挝，我们收集了铸造青铜器、青铜喇叭和铜鼓的模具样本。我们在调查期间在老挝检查的Heger-1型鼓与老挝和湄公河流域发现的鼓类型相同。他们有着巨大的身体和鼓室，鼓室上装饰着多条飞鸟和鸟人腰带。

By our field surveys in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos in the Mekong Basin, we conducted archaeological research on the site of metal working and the iron and copper mines to collect the samples and the archaeological information on the metal resources and the use of metal in the area above mentioned from 2002 to 2006. We also made metallurgical analysis of the metal and ore samples.The metallurgical analysis of the iron ax we collected at Snay site, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia showed that it was made from the iron ore mined in Battambon area, west Cambodia.In Thailand, we analyzed the iron slag and the iron ore collected at the iron smelting sites and the iron mines in central and northeast Thailand. We can suppose that they smelted iron from hematite in central Thailand, and from iron nodules in some areas lacking of iron ore nor sand iron in northeast Thailand according to the result of the analysis. On copper and bronze, we carried field surveys at Khao Thap Kwai copper mine and Non Pha Wai copper smelting site in central Thailand, and Phu Lon copper smelting site in northeast Thailand. A lot of samples of copper ore, copper slag and bronze artifacts were collected at the sites of central, north and northeast Thailand. We operated the metallurgical analysis of them. The results of lead isotope analysis of the firstly operated in Southeast Asia, made clear that they smelted copper by using different copper ores from different mines, and that the copper and copper ore from Phu Long in northeast Thailand were used to make the bronze ornaments found at Ban Don Phlong site and the bronze drums found in Sukhotai and Don Tan.In Vietnam and Laos, we collected the samples of molds for casting bronzes, bronze halberds and bronze drums. The Heger 1 type drums we examined I Laos during our survey are the same type as the drums found in Laos and the Mekong Basin. They have big bodies and the tympanons decorated by plural belts of flying birds and birdmen.