The Óc Eo culture in the historical and cultural context of Southeast Asia, first to seventh centuries CE

Abstract

Óc Eo culture was one of the earliest ancient cultures to emerge and flourish in the Mekong Delta. It played a particularly significant role in the historical and cultural development of both Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Over many centuries, the bearers of Óc Eo culture established extensive diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural relations with numerous cultures across Asia and beyond. Based on a diversified economy-combining agriculture, the exploitation of natural resources, handicraft production, and trade-the inhabitants of Óc Eo culture actively developed a maritime economy, contributing to the rise of Funan as a major maritime polity in the region.

Drawing upon an interdisciplinary approach and a structural-systemic methodology, and utilizing a wide range of sources, particularly archaeological data, this paper focuses on analyzing the extensive, multidimensional, and multi-directional interactions of Óc Eo culture; its cultural characteristics and creative achievements; and the role of the Óc Eo - Ba Thê port-city complex. As a multifunctional urban center, Óc Eo - Ba Thê clearly demonstrates its importance as a major economic, religious, and cultural hub in the Mekong Delta and Southeast Asia during the 1st-7th centuries CE.