Marn Thit Nyein (Archaeology)
Origin of human in Myanmar’s Bronze Age Cultural evidences in Bronze Age are difficult to be searched from the habitation areas where the Bronze Age humans settled at that time. Stone Age humans in Myanmar survived for their lives by residing in caves, hunting and residing inside the caves in natural areas such as jungles and mountains.
Gradually, Stone Age humans moved to one place to another in searching greener pastures for their suitable habitation sites so as to carry out agriculture and livestock breeding tasks. In open season, they lived near rivers and creeks in plains. They built their shelters with the use of bamboo and timber logs. At a time when they were skillful in the art of smelting, they made bronze weapons using the moulds which were found in Myin Oo Hle region in Myanmar. That is why it can be seen that Bronze Age humans could make their weapons in their areas for their use.
Habitation site of Bronze Age humans Based on data of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, the Bronze Age regions were located in plains, especially in central parts of Myanmar. It seemed that Bronze Age humans constructed their buildings made of timber and bamboo. As these buildings disappeared in many years due to causing damage and decay naturally, evidences on habitation site in Bronze Age could not be found. As a significant point, Bronze Age humans were seemed to have belief in concept of afterlife. It was because that those humans systematically buried the dead bodies in the single place along with utensils of the dead, according to the research in excavating the graveyards of Bronze Age.
Lifestyle of Bronze Age humans In observing the point that Bronze Age humans selected the place for burying the dead bodies, it can be reviewed that those persons in pre-historic era lived the aforesaid areas for a long time but in a short time. They were assumed to collectively live in the single place together with same relatives under the advanced social structure which fostered the leader system as well as the administrative system. The excavation could put records on the evidences that those humans ate various kinds of animals. As evidences on bones were assumed as thigh bones of barking deer or cows buried together with fossils and urns of humans, it can be estimated that pre-historic humans ate non-farming animals such as bark deer and deer in addition to farming animals such as cow.
Agriculture and Livestock Breeding Cow was bred as farming animal in West Asia some 6,000 years ago. China started breeding of these farming animals since 3,400 years. Goats and sheep were bred in West Asia about 7,000 years ago. Except dogs which helped humans hunt wildlife, cows, goats and sheep were bred as farming animals. In fact, although the Bronze Age was the time of extending agricultural tasks, any evidence was not found for estimation on cultivation of crops they grew. It was assumed that those humans carried out cultivation tasks together with livestock breeding tasks. At the same time, trading of goods might be developed among them. Thus, it was assumed that as the situation led to the advanced cultural stage, the transit period between the two cultural stages would not be longer. In changing the cultural stages, humans used the utensils of previous culture in the early period of new culture era. With regard to the evidences, Stone Age weapons and bronze wares were found together in excavation in Ywagongyi region in 2009 and bronze weapons and iron weapons were unearthed together in excavation in Kanthitkon region in 2008.
Establishment of urban organizations Experts assumed that early Myanmar humans in the pre-historic era lived in scattered areas as small villages. They started pre-urbanization processes in Samon River Basin of central Myanmar.
Three groups departed from Samon River Basin. One of three groups moved to Hanlin region, another group to Beikthanoe region and the third one to Sri Kestra region. Afterwards, they strived for establishment of urban organizations.
According to the findings from the archaeological excavations, the burial mounds in the Bronze Age were mostly located on the highlands and slope areas where the ground level was slightly higher than the plains. Parts of earthen pots and pieces of bones in addition to small beads were found on those mounds due to impacts of climatic conditions as well as acts of humans.
Characteristics in Bronze Age In respect of characteris tics in the Bronze Age, dead bodies of Bronze Age humans were buried at the designated burial sites in a systematic manner. Generally, the burial sites were situated on the mounds. It was assumed that humans in the Bronze Age established the villages for their settlement.
However, archaeologists cannot search these sites. Burial sites or settlement areas of Bronze Age humans were close to small creeks and streams. Those humans were seemed to engage in agriculture and livestock breeding tasks. And, they were skillful in making handiworks such as earthen pots, beads and weapons. It was assumed that as they had a custom of burying bones of dead persons together with their foods, they might believe in concept of afterlife.
They made bronze weapons in the stone moulds. They might be under management of the head. Moreover, they might have developed inter-village relations. They had traditions that the dead bodies were buried together with bronze weapons, packs of bronze wires, bronze bracelets, stone rings and stone bracelets, various types of strings of stone beads, strings of earthen beads, strings of bone beads, earthen pots and bowls in addition to foods and utensils in the Bronze Age. Not only burial sites in the Bronze Age but also the sites of making bronze weapons were found. It can be observed that daily lifestyle, believes, social economic forms and settlement types of Bronze Age humans were found in excavation of respective sites.
Bronze Age culture in Myanmar Some criticized that Myanmar did not have Bronze Age culture stage with comprehensive evidences and Bronze Age cultural characteristics. Now, such analysis is absolutely wrong. The results in excavation of Bronze Age evidences jointly conducted by experts and officials from the Department of Archaeology and National Museum and foreign experts under the Myanmar-French cooperation proved the Bronze Age culture. Hence, Myanmar could take pride of finding its evidences on Bronze Age culture among the global countries.
It is sure that more and more excavations would continue searching of evidences on settlement culture of Bronze Age humans in the various regions of flourishing Bronze Age culture in Myanmar in coming years.
Translated by Than Tun Aung
