Thailand, ca 1st millennium BCE. This is a large and heavy pair of bronze arm bands, each in perfectly circular form, made from rounded solid bands, with a small separation to allow them to bend. These are from the Ban Chiang tradition. Ban Chiang is considered by UNESCO to be the most important prehistoric settlement so far found in Southeast Asia; alongside its worth in demonstrating when people in the region began to develop agriculture, it also shows how they began to experiment with materials such as bronze. Ban Chiang is a large, manmade mound, wherein have been excavated all of the raw materials and production facilities to make bronze -- as well as a number of weapons, tools, and ornaments. This makes it the earliest known site of bronze tool production in Southeast Asia. Size of each: 5" W x 0.75" H (12.7 cm x 1.9 cm).

Provenance: Ex-Smith collection acquired before 1990.

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#101262

Encrusted with beautiful turquoise patina as shown.