"...We have selected an ancient site called Thagara located ten kilometers north of Dawei for two reasons. Firstly, as explained above, the habitation areas of ancient Thagara are little known. The site is a raised mound clearly demarcated with a series of up to four earthen and brick ramparts and moats. The area inside the walls is densely populated while the perimeter outside the walls is cultivated, primarily rice fields. Secondly, the Dawei houses are urban rather than the rural types found at Thagara. The traditional hearths and rice barns of the Thagara houses typify the agricultural way of life of southern Myanmar. While some houses have modernized, using income from family members who have returned from periods of work abroad, most of Thagara?s houses use traditional methods of construction.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015.