South East Asia 1000 BCE

What is happening in South East Asia in 1000BCE

This region continues to witness movements of populations. The Austronesians have established themselves on the coasts and islands of the Philippines, and are now probing outwards to the coasts of Vietnam and Borneo, as well as south-eastwards along the coast of New Guinea and into the Pacific.

In the west, the Austroasiatic ancestors of the Mon and Khmer peoples are continuing to spread downwards in South East Asia, establishing their rice-growing villages as they go. The use of bronze for weapons and decorative objects is also now becoming established among these peoples, as a result of continuing links with southern China.

To the north, a new group of peoples, the Tibeto-Burmans, are moving down the river valleys of south-east China into northern Burma.

Next map, South East Asia in 500 BCE