Editing History of Thailand (section)

=== Initial states ===
{{main|Initial states of Thailand|Peopling of Thailand}}

There are many sites in present-day Thailand dating to the Bronze (1500–500 BCE) and Iron Ages (500 BCE–500 CE). Areas comprising what is now Thailand participated in the Maritime Jade Road, as ascertained by archeological research. The trading network existed for 3,000 years, between 2000 BC and 1000 AD.<ref>Tsang, Cheng-hwa (2000), "Recent advances in the Iron Age archaeology of Taiwan", Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 20: 153–158, doi:10.7152/bippa.v20i0.11751</ref><ref>Turton, M. (2021). Notes from central Taiwan: Our brother to the south. Taiwan's relations with the Philippines date back millennia, so it's a mystery that it's not the jewel in the crown of the New Southbound Policy. Taiwan Times.</ref><ref>Everington, K. (2017). Birthplace of Austronesians is Taiwan, capital was Taitung: Scholar. Taiwan News.</ref><ref>Bellwood, P., H. Hung, H., Lizuka, Y. (2011). Taiwan Jade in the Philippines: 3,000 Years of Trade and Long-distance Interaction. Semantic Scholar.</ref> The site of [[Ban Chiang]] (around [[Udon Thani Province]]) currently ranks as the earliest known center of [[copper]] and [[bronze]] production in Southeast Asia and has been dated to around 2,000 years BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Higham |first1=Charles |last2=Higham |first2=Thomas |last3=Ciarla |first3=Roberto |last4=Douka |first4=Katerina |last5=Kijngam |first5=Amphan |last6=Rispoli |first6=Fiorella |title=The Origins of the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia |journal=Journal of World Prehistory |date=10 December 2011 |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=227–274 |doi=10.1007/s10963-011-9054-6 |s2cid=162300712 }}</ref>

The oldest known records of a political entity in Indochina are attributed to [[Funan]]—centered in the Mekong Delta and comprising territories inside modern-day Thailand.<ref>{{cite web    |url=http://www.funan.de/culture1.php    |title=The Virtual Museum of Khmer Art – History of Funan – The Liang Shu account from Chinese Empirical Records    |publisher=Wintermeier collection    |access-date=10 February 2018    |archive-date=13 July 2015    |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713144007/http://www.funan.de/culture1.php    |url-status=live }}</ref> Chinese annals confirm Funan's existence as early as the first century CE. Archaeological documentation implies an extensive human settlement history since the fourth century BCE.<ref>{{cite web    |url=http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~nomura/m1.pdf    |title=State-Formation of Southeast Asia and the Regional Integration – "thalassocratic" state – Base of Power is in the control of a strategic points such as strait, bay, river mouth etc. river mouth etc.    |publisher=Keio University    |access-date=10 February 2018    |archive-date=4 March 2016    |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085818/http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~nomura/m1.pdf    |url-status=live }}</ref>

The region also hosted a number of indigenous [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic-speaking]] and [[Malayo-Sumbawan languages|Malayo-Sumbawan-speaking]] civilisations. However, little is known about Thailand before the 13th century, as literary and concrete sources are scarce, and most of the knowledge about this period is gleaned from archaeological evidence. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, starting with the Kingdom of Funan, around the first century, until the [[Khmer Empire]].<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/589625/Thailand/274233/History?anchor=ref509754 Thailand. History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006123348/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/589625/Thailand/274233/History?anchor=ref509754 |date=6 October 2014 }}. Encyclop?dia Britannica Online</ref> These "Indianised kingdoms" are composed of [[Dvaravati]], [[Srivijaya]], and the Khmer Empire.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Some Aspects of Asian History and Culture"  by Upendra Thakur p.157</ref> E. A. Voretzsch believes that Buddhism must have been flowing into Thailand from India at the time of the Indian emperor [[Ashoka]] of the [[Maurya Empire]] and into the first millennium.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Later, Thailand was influenced by the south Indian [[Pallava dynasty]] and north Indian [[Gupta Empire]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>