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Contact

Email charles.higham@otago.ac.nz

Research Interests

The prehistory of mainland Southeast Asia; the implications of archaeogenetics and historic linguistics.

Projects

I have two current research projects.

The first centres on the prehistoric Iron Age site of Non Ban Jak, in Northeast Thailand. Co-directed with Associate Professor Hallie Buckley, this focuses on the origins of social inequality during the later Iron Age, that laid the foundations for the origins of early states. Non Ban Jak is unique in providing not only the remains of houses, but the well-preserved skeletons of those who lived there between 200-600 AD. Our research is supported by the Marsden Fund.

My second project involves collaboration with Professor T. Higham and Dr K. Douka of Oxford and Dr F. Petchey of Waikato University, and involves the dating of human bones, shells and plant remains from key prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia to provide a firm chronological framework for interpreting later Southeast Asian prehistory.  This is also supported by the Marsden Fund, and results have involved the redating of Non Nok Tha, Ban Chiang, Ban Na Di, Ban Lum Khao and several other prehistoric sites from Myanmar, Vietnam and China.

Publications

Pryce, T. O., Cadet, M., Pottier, C., & Higham, C. F. W. (2026). The Southeast Asian Bronze Age fringe? Technological, elemental and lead isotopic data from Nong Nor and Koh Ta Méas. Archaeometry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/arcm.70125 Journal - Research Article

Higham, C. F. W., & Higham, T. F. G. (2026). Dealing with inbuilt age: A Bayesian approach to radiocarbon dating of rice, bamboo and charcoal from Non Ban Jak, Thailand. Archaeometry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/arcm.70105 Journal - Research Article

Paris, S. E., & Higham, C. (2025). Ochre use in burial practices in Thailand, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Antiquity. Advance online publication. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2025.10266 Journal - Research Article

Piper, P. J., Thị Thúy, N., Bellwood, P., Thị Kim Qúy, T., Grono, E., Petchey, F., Higham, C., … Thị Mý Dung, L. (2025). Thạch Lạc and the Neolithic transition in north-central Vietnam, 3000-2000 BCE. Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/15564894.2025.2474945 Journal - Research Article

Higham, C. F. W., & Alves, M. J. (2025). The Southeast Asian prehistoric house: A correlation between archaeology and linguistics. Asian Archaeology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s41826-025-00107-0 Journal - Research Article

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