The knownearly history of Thailand begins with the earliest majorarchaeological site atBan Chiang. Dating of artifacts from this site is controversial, but there is a consensus that at least by 3600 BCE, inhabitants had developedbronze tools and had begun to cultivate wetrice, providing the impetus for social and political organisation.
Later,Malay,Mon, andKhmer civilisations flourished in the region prior to the domination of theThais, most notably the kingdom ofSrivijaya in the south, theDvaravati kingdom incentral Thailand, and theKhmer Empire based atAngkor.
The Thai are part of a larger ethno-linguistic group known as theTai, a group which includes theLao, the people of theShan region of northeasternBurma, theZhuang people ofGuangxi Province in China and theThổ people andNùng people of northern Vietnam. Migrations fromsouthern China to Southeast Asia took place primarily during the first millennium CE, most likely via northern Laos.
During the first millennium CE the Tai peoples were loosely organised in small entities known asmuang. They were heavily influenced by the more advanced cultures around them: the Khmer to the east, and the Hindu cultures of India to the west. Most of the Tai were converted to a form of Hinduism, traces of which can still be seen in Thai religious practice today. Between the 6th and 9th centuries CE, Buddhism was introduced into the Tai-speaking lands, probably viaBurma, and became the dominant religion. TheTheravada Buddhism now practised in Thailand was introduced by missionaries from Sri Lanka in the 13th century.
Phongsawadannuea (Chronicle of the North) is a historical record of this period. The date of its first compilation is unknown, but its content stretches from 500 CE down to the early 11th century. The recent edition was compiled in earlyRattanakosin period.
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