[JimSEA]

Sorry for my really sad spelling and typing. I tend to agree as the date for the Indic cultural influence keeps getting pushed back. Interestingly, unlike so many meetings of quite different cultures, ther are not signs of genocide and large scale population disruptions. A lot of this probably results from Buddhist influence but the first contacts brought Hindu culture and dieties as is reflected in Khmer and Dvaravati, Champa, and Sirivijaya where Buddhism and Hindu mixed. It really is hard to sort things out, particularly when, where there were written records, they were highly perisable.

[Fedora]

A lot of this probably results from Buddhist influence but the first contacts brought Hindu culture and dieties as is reflected in Khmer and Dvaravati, Champa, and Sirivijaya where Buddhism and Hindu mixed. It really is hard to sort things out, particularly when, where there were written records, they were highly perisable.

I imagine that's even a harder problem when dealing with pre-Buddhist periods. BTW, when did writing first appear in SE Asia?