Myanmar Ancient History

About 40 million years ago, three species of primates inhabited Myanmar: Pondaungia cottelia in the region of Pondung, Lower Chindwin ^[1] , Amphipithecus mogaungensis, whose remains were found in the village of Mogaung, the village of Pale, Sagaing, and also in the village of Bakhin (Mying village , Magwe region) ^[1] and Eosimias paukkaungensis from the Pondung formation.

In the Lower Paleolithic era, along the Irrawaddy River, there was a culture of Anyatha, the carrier of which was Homo erectus . The early stage of culture dates back to 750-275 thousand years ago, and the late - 275-25 thousand years ago.

It is assumed that during coastal migrations about 70,000 years ago, a reasonable person arrived in Myanmar (from India through China ), who displaced the hominid, possibly partially mixing with them ^{[2] [3] [4]} . However, unlike neighboring regions, traces of human settlements of that time have not yet been discovered in Myanmar. The earliest archaeological evidence of people staying dates back to 11000 BC. e. - These are rock paintings in the caves of Pada Lin ^[5] . The cave paintings in these caves continued to be created even later, right up to the Bronze and Iron Age , up to about 1200 BC. e. These aborigines , together with the later waves of migrants, formed the basis of Burmese civilization.

Coarse-polished stone tools of various sizes are often found in Shan state in eastern Myanmar ^{[6] [7]} . Pebble tools , including single-sided chopped and other tools made of petrified wood and tuff , were found in Pleistocene terrace deposits in the Irrawaddy valley ^[6] .

In general, the Neolithic era in Myanmar dates from the period 7000 - 2000. BC e. Perhaps it is associated with an influx of new population. The Neolithic inhabitants of Myanmar left monuments in the central part of the country, in the states of Kachin, Shan, Mon, Taninthai, and also along the banks of the Chindvin and Ayeyarvaddi rivers .

The Neolithic era, when the domestication of animals and cultivation of plants first occurred, was witnessed in Myanmar by three caves near Taunggya on the edge of the Shan plateau. ^[6] They date from the period 11000 - 6000 years. BC e., that is, cover not only the Neolithic, but also earlier eras. The most important of these is the Pada Lin Cave, first populated back in the Upper Paleolithic era. ^[8] Part of the cave paintings, located 3-4 meters above the floor, reflects the life of the Neolithic: these are two human hands drawn by red ocher , a fish, bulls, bison, a deer, and also, probably, the back of an elephant. ^[9] These drawings can be interpreted as the fact that the cave was used for religious and ritual purposes. ^[6]

Another remarkable archaeological site is the Taung Thaman area near the Irrawaddy River . Here, within the walls of the city of Amarapur , the former capital of the country in the 18th century, traces of a settlement inhabited from the Neolithic to the early Iron Age, about the middle of 1 thousand BC, are found. e. ^[6]

The first historically known migrants to Myanmar were the Rakhine (the creators of the Arakan kingdoms in western Myanmar) and the Karen . Their arrival led to cultural diffusion with the natives. ^[6]

By 1500 BC e. include the earliest evidence of copper and bronze products, rice cultivation, domestication of chickens and pigs in the Irrawaddy Valley. ^[10] Findings of bronze axes in the territory of the village of Shvebo indicate that the Bronze Age in Myanmar began around 1500 BC. e. parallel to the early stages of bronze production in Southeast Asia. ^{[11] The} Bronze Age lasted from 1500 to 1000 BC. e. During this period, the technology of smelting and casting of copper and tin was widely distributed along trade routes laid back in the Neolithic. ^[12]

In the Bronze Age, small exchange trade begins, and an animistic cult also arises.

On the territory of Myanmar, the Bronze and Iron Age cultures often overlapped. ^[6] Around 1500 BC e. iron production arose in the Irrawaddy valley, but the Iron Age in Burma began later, around 1200 BC. e. ^[13]

The economy was based on agriculture and copper mining in the Shan highlands, as well as semiprecious stones and iron on a plateau near Mount Popa and salt in the Khalin region. These materials are presented in funeral gifts along with imported items from China. ^[5] Also funeral gifts included decorative ceramics and household items, such as bowls and spoons. ^[6]

Around 500 BC e. a large number of densely populated small towns and large villages arise in the valleys of Upper Myanmar. Their population was engaged in rice cultivation. ^{[5] [10]} Urban civilization in Myanmar took shape much later, closer to the beginning of n. e., along with the development of the irrigation system and the construction of canals. ^[13]

From the 2nd century BC e. and until the founding of the Pagan dynasty in the 11th century. n e. Myanmar's population traded with India and the Chinese dynasties, including Han and Qin . Communicating with these regions brought Buddhism and coinage to Myanmar, which later spread to other countries in Southeast Asia. ^[6]

In the 1st century BC e., I drink to the country, populating the north of the country. ^[14]

In the VI century AD e. monks began to penetrate the territory of modern Lower Myanmar from the monastic kingdoms of Haribhunjaya and Dvaravati , located on the territory of modern Thailand . By the middle of the 9th century, they founded at least two small kingdoms (city-states) with centers in Pegu and Thataton .

• John Whitfield Lovers, Not Fighters? (unspecified) . Scientific American (February 18, 2008). Date of treatment January 12, 2011. Archived May 15, 2012.
• Michael Petraglia. Tool tale: Man came to India from Africa 80,000 yrs ago - The Times of India (Neopr.) . India Times (Sep 22, 2010). Date of treatment January 12, 2011. Archived May 15, 2012.
• Richard M. Cooler. Prehistoric and Animist Periods (neopr.) . Northern Illinois University (June 3, 2003). Date of treatment January 11, 2011. Archived on May 15, 2012.
• Thaw, U Aung (1969), " The 'neolithic' culture of the Padah-Lin Caves ", Journal of Burma Research Society T. 52 (1): 15 , < http://www.lib.washington.edu/myanmar /pdfs/AT0001.pdf >  
• " Anyathian complex. ", Encyclopædia Britannica , 2011 , < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/29114/Anyathian-complex >  
• Hudson, Bob (March 2005), " A Pyu Homeland in the Samon Valley: a new theory of the origins of Myanmar's early urban system ", Myanmar Historical Commission Golden Jubilee International Conference , < http://acl.arts.usyd.edu .au / ~ hudson / BH2005Jan.pdf > . Retrieved August 3, 2011.   Archived November 26, 2013 on Wayback Machine
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