This book analyzes the role of Đại Việt (Vietnam) in the maritime Asian
trading network of the thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries as it
systematically integrates the results of archaeological investigations.
The first half of the book consolidates reports from excavations
conducted at Vân Đồn and Phố Hiến, trading ports of Đại Việt,
incorporating sophisticated archaeological techniques distinctive of
Japan in the presentations of the data. These are accompanied by precise
scale drawings, detailed classifications, and quantitative analyses of
unearthed artifacts.
The latter half of the book discusses the materials discovered in
archaeological investigations, specifically ceramics and coins, in terms
of the relations among sites and networks of production, distribution,
and consumption, from a broader Asian geohistorical perspective. To this
end, the diplomatic policies and trading activities of each era in
Vietnam are discussed, integrating the results of archaeological
investigations with studies of historical documents.
Expanding beyond Vietnam, results of the archaeological investigations
in other maritime Asian countries, such as Japan, Indonesia, Laos, and
the Philippines, are introduced, to inform a comparative study that
combines all such data from both archaeology and history in a single
volume as materials for broader discussion. This book is expected to
contribute to international academic discourse on the history of
maritime Asia and help open a new phase of scholarly endeavor in this
field.