In general, it seems that the grave goods of Ban Non Wat were intended to be

useful items in the afterlife of the deceased as well as important items from their life.
Aside from beads, the most common grave good by far is pottery vessels, specifically
drinking and eating vessels. This implies that the dead needed these vessels to eat and
drink in the afterlife. Some items could be seen as markers of occupation, such as the
spindle whorl, but the infant in burial 45 had one as well, implying that it was not
connected to people who were spinners. In instances where items like axes or other tools
were found, they were with bodies that also had many other grave goods, which implies
that these were more status markers than actual tools that these people used. The fact
that there were these high status graves leads us to the conclusion that some of the grave
goods were strictly symbolic, but the lower status graves confirm that they are in some
way linked to the persons life/afterlife. As for pottery, commoners were more likely to
have eating/drinking vessels, while the elite also had many serving and display vessels,
implying they had an abundance of food and participated in feasting frequently.

Generally females and males were treated about the same in burial. Of the three
highest status graves, one is male, one is female, and one isnt stated. Adults and
children arent really treated differently either, as there are examples of high status in
both infants and old adults (burials 467 and 105) and lower status in the same age
group. As far as I can see, there is no pattern in the placement and orientation of the
bodies. It is clear to me that some other social factor was much more important than age
or sex in determining the treatment of the dead.

Burial 467 is clear evidence that Ban Non Wat was an inegalitarian society. An
infant, buried with salt-water shells, marble, copper, and a beaded belt, clearly 467 is a
very high status individual. Being an infant, this confirms the inegalitarian nature of
Ban Non Wat. Elite status was marked by the inclusion of marble tools and adornments,
copper tools, weapons, and jewelry, and non-bivalve shells.

There was some evidence of beautification at Ban Non Wat, primarily adornment
with bangles. There were other forms of adornment such as shells, beads, necklaces,
belts, etc., but bangles are the most widespread.

There were no dietary differences among the people of Ban Non Wat. The
presence of Carbon and Nitrogen isotopes suggest a diet that includes a balance of C3
and C4 plants as well meat, probably from C4 herbivores primarily.