Focusing primarily on the Classical Period (800?1500 CE), ancient Southeast Asian culture is viewed through the lens of ceramic production and trade, influenced but not completely overshadowed by its powerful neighbour, China.

Since the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) of Singapore in 1969, archaeological research on ceramics in Southeast Asia has developed significantly.Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery and the accompanying exhibition endeavour to chart that evolution. It illustrates the fundamental role played by the SEACS and its members in stimulating this progress.

Chapter One traces the founding of the SEACS and the pivotal role played by its founder, William Willetts,in establishing the study of Southeast Asian ceramics as a legitimate field of research in Singapore. The contributions of his student Roxanna M Brown, who sadly passed away in 2008, to the study of Southeast Asian ceramics are examined in Chapter Two. The publication in 1977 (2nd edition 1988) of her book, The Ceramics of South-East Asia: Their Dating and Identification,was deemed by many the first textbook of its kind.Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery hopes to complement Roxanna's book by considering other developments in the field since-the role of maritime archaeology in advancing the state of knowledge of Southeast Asian ceramics (Chapter Three),and the contributions made by land-based archaeologists through the discovery of kilns and production sites (Chapter Four). Finally, Chapter Five covers the study of ancient ceramic trade, both within the region and with its neighbours, of which the most important centre for ceramic production is China. The book, comprising 176 full-colour pages, contains a catalogue devoted to artefacts that were presented at the aforementioned exhibition, making this book an invaluable source of reference for scholars and ceramic connoisseurs as well as members of the public.

Foreword

Preface

Major Ancient Shipwreck Sites of Southeast Asia & Chinese Export Kilns

Kilns of Mainland Southeast Asia

Timeline

Introduction: The SEACS and the NUS Museum

New Light On Old Pottery: The Founding of SEACS

The Contributions of Roxanna Brown to the Study of Southeast Asian Ceramics

Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia

Kilns of Southeast Asia

Research on Ceramic Trade, within Southeast Asia and between Southeast Asia and China

Catalogue

Major Publications of Roxanna M Brown/Bibliography

Index

SEACS Council/Presidents/Exhibitions/Publications/Acknowledgements & Credits