The thirty-six chapters in this collection have been selected to give an overview of recent research into prehistoric and early historic archaeology in Southeast Asia. In the opening chapter Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand comments on the significance of the inscriptions from the important Khmer temple, Prasat Phnom Rung in northeastern Thailand. Following this, Professor Charles Higham gives an original and insightful survey of the prehistoric threads linking south China and the countries of modern Southeast Asia. Seven broad themes - the late Pleistocene and early Holocene communities; new perspectives on the Neolithic; Bronze and Iron Age mortuary practices; Iron Age landscapes and cultures; emerging early states and trading ports; urban landscapes; and regional and long-distance exchange relations - serve to organize subsequent chapters. The writers in this book are all engaged in archaeological and historical research in the region, and they range from senior professional academic teachers to new students just starting to make their contributions to an evolving story of the past of the nation states of modern Southeast Asia. This book makes a significant contribution to the knowledge of a complex, dynamic and multiethnic region whose peoples have roots deep into the past.