Around 500 BC, the introduction of iron working technology
caused radical changes in social structure in both
mainland and insular Southeast Asia. The most important
phenomenon, which had strong impacts in all aspects of
life, was the transformation from small and egalitarian to
large and complex societies. This complexity laid the
foundations for the emergence and development of early
states in the area. The causes and dynamics of these
processes were various in nature and included both
internal and external elements. Using site and artefact
distributions in the Thu Bon Valley, one of the largest and
most fertile riverine areas in the whole of central Vietnam,
we examine the nature and evolution of regional and
inter–regional interaction between Sa Huynh communities
and the outside world, especially with the Han Chinese,
the Dong Son of northern Vietnam, and contemporary
cultures in South and Southeast Asia.
