TTLV: Con Co Ngua Archaeological Site (Thanh Hoa)

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name: Pham Thanh Son

2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: September 9, 1984

4. Place of birth: Hong Phong commune, Ninh Giang district, Hai Duong province

5. Decision No. 1528/QD-XHNV-KH&SDH dated October 14, 2009, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, recognizing the student.

6. Changes in the training process:

On December 20, 2011, I received Decision No. 1666/QD-SDH from the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, regarding the recognition of my postgraduate thesis topic and supervisor. However, due to objective difficulties, I subsequently submitted a request to the Head of the Department of Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of History, in September 2013 to change the thesis topic and supervisor.

7. Thesis title: The Archaeological Site of Con Co Ngua (Thanh Hoa)

8. Major: Archaeology; Code: 60 22 03 17

9. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Trinh Hoang Hiep, Department of Metal Age Research, Institute of Archaeology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences

10. Summary of the thesis results:

This thesis is the first comprehensive work to systematically compile all source materials about the Con Co Ngua site. It also marks the first time that petrological and pottery-related studies and analyses have been conducted in a scientific and systematic manner.

The thesis also provides rich material on anthropology, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, and the environment.

This thesis has made contributions and clarified important aspects of pottery and stone tool manufacturing techniques at Con Co Ngua. These are central issues when studying Con Co Ngua and are also of fundamental significance when studying the Da But culture.

11. Practical applications:

This thesis will be a reliable source of information for domestic and international researchers interested in a pivotal cultural period when studying post-Hoa Binh Neolithic prehistoric cultures in Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and Southern China.

12. Future research directions:

In the future, the author of this thesis will attempt to conduct broader research to clarify some of the issues addressed in this thesis, including:

- What will be the consequences for the post-Multi-Pen culture after its existence ends?

- What was the role of the Hoa Binh culture in the formation of Neolithic centers in Northern Vietnam?

13. Published works related to the thesis:

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: Pham Thanh Son 2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: September 9, 1984 4. Place of birth: Hong Phong, Ninh Giang, Hai Duong

5. Admission decision number: 1528/QD-XHNV-KH&SĐH Dated October 14, 2009 from Headmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University.

6. Changes in academic process:

On December 20, 2011, I received the admission decision about the title of my thesis, and advisor I was granted the decision numberof1666/QD-SĐH by theHeadmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University. However, because of objective reasons, I have submitted another application to the Head of Faculty of the History Department, Division of Postgraduate Studies to allow me to change my thesis title and advisor.This was done in September, 2013.

7. Official thesis title: Con Co Ngua site (Thanh Hoa)

8. Major: Archeology 9. Code: 60 22 03 17

10. Supervisors: Dr. Trinh Hoang Hiep, Head of the Department for Metal Age Archeology, The Institute of Archeology, Hanoi, Vietnam

11. Summary of the relevance of this thesis:

This thesis will be the first such study to provide a comprehensive summary of all available information about the Con Con Ngua site. It will also be the first research project to analysepetrographic aspects of the clay used to create Leather But pottery using systematic and up to date scientific techniques. The research presented in this thesis should help to clarify fundamental questions related to the manufacturing techniques used to make ceramics and stone tools by the Con Co Ngua population; information applicable to understanding any Skin But Period assemblage from across northern Vietnam.Finally, this thesis will also present and summarize diverse data relevant to anthropology, geomorphology, and palaeoecology.

12. Practical applicability, if any:

It is hoped that this thesis will become an important new resource for both Vietnamese and international archaeological scholars who wish to study the post-Hoa Binh pre-agricultural Neolithic period in Vietnam (exemplified by sites such as Con Co Ngua). The results of new research on this time period in Vietnam also have relevance to comparative studies of the Neolithic Period in South East Asia and Southern China.

13. Further research directions, if any:

Going forward, I will focus my research on the resolution of two specific questions relevant to Da But archeology: 1. When did the Da But Period end, and how do later Da But sites and assemblages differ from earlier ones? 2. What role did the Hoabinhian culture play in the formation of the numerous smaller, yet archaeologically distinct, cultures of the pre-agricultural Neolithic in northern Vietnam?

14. Thesis-related publications: