Ancient Knowledge and the use of landscape: Walled settlements in Lower Myanmar.

Main author: Moore, Elizabeth
Format: Book Chapters           
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id eprints-12801
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description A major challenge to achieving an archaeology of landscape is matching hard material facts with textual sources. This paper attempts to redress the balance between the two in Lower Myanmar studies. The archaeological evidence is favoured, but without losing the unique value of what is conserved in the epigraphic and chronicle tradition.Archaeological artefacts such as laterite walls and finger-marked bricks are difficult to tally with descriptions of cities and places found in inscriptions, chronicles and early Chinese travellers' accounts. Likewise,persons and places not mentioned in inscriptions are often deemed not to have existed. Both these approaches, in the self-imposed restrictions placed on their use of the evidence, prejudice investigation from the outset. This has particularly been the case in relation to texts demonstrating integration of monastic groups into early first millennium AD walled sites located in Lower Myanmar.
format Book Chapters
author Moore, Elizabeth
author_facet Moore, Elizabeth
authorStr Moore, Elizabeth
author_letter Moore, Elizabeth
title Ancient Knowledge and the use of landscape: Walled settlements in Lower Myanmar.
publisher Yangon: Myanmar Historical Commission, Ministry of Education
publishDate 2004
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/12801/