Neolithic Thai Marble Bangle

Ban Chiang or Ban Non Wat Culture, Neolithic period, c. 2200 BC – 200 BC, Northeastern Thailand, Southeast Asia

A fascinating and extremely rare white stone bangle, most likely carved from marble, distinguished by its elegant taper toward the outer edge and a raised lip surrounding the central perforation. The form is carefully balanced and technically accomplished, reflecting the high level of craftsmanship achieved by Neolithic communities in Southeast Asia.

The precise function of such objects remains the subject of scholarly debate. Stone bangles of this type are found across numerous Asian cultures and attest to a remarkable degree of symbolic abstraction during the Neolithic period (4th–1st millennium BC). Archaeological and comparative evidence suggests that while these objects carried ritual significance, they also functioned as personal ornaments and, at times, as items of exchange or prestige currency.

Although many museum examples lack secure archaeological context, sufficient specimens have been recovered from controlled excavations in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia to confirm their importance. These bangles were valuable objects, frequently placed on the arms of the deceased in burial contexts and almost certainly worn during ceremonial occasions in life.

Drilled hardstone bracelets were already being produced in North and Central China during the Late Neolithic period (c. 3500–2500 BC). It is likely that the associated technologies and stylistic concepts spread gradually southward with the expansion of Austro-Asiatic–speaking populations, reaching Southeast Asia by the late third millennium BC. Numerous manufacturing sites for stone bracelets have been identified in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Among the best-documented is the late second-millennium BC jade bracelet workshop at Trang Kenh, near Hai Phong in northern Vietnam (Nguyen Kim Dung, forthcoming). Excavations there demonstrate that bracelet centres were drilled from both sides using rotating jigs and jasper gouges, before the central core was carefully punched out.

This rare marble bangle stands as a powerful testament to Neolithic technological skill, long-distance cultural transmission, and the ritual and social value of personal adornment in early Southeast Asian societies.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip. Heavy encrusted earthen deposits throughout with multiple rootmarks. Size approx. 13,2cm x 13,2cm x 2,1cm

Provenance: Swedish private collection

For a similar example see: 

Disc bracelet, Sainsbury Centre, Accession Number: 1032                                                   (https://sainsburycentre.ac.uk/art-and-objects/1032-disc-bracelet/)

Three Brownish Ivory-Colored Opaque Stone Flanged Bracelets, Christie’s, The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth Part III, Lot 529, Closed: 19 Mar 2015 (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5876586)

References and further reading:

Early Thailand - From Prehistory to Sukhothai, Charles Higham & Rachanee Thosarat, River Books, 2012