PHETCHABURI: Archaeologists have uncovered additional gold ornaments at the Don Yai Thong archaeological site in Phetchaburi province, further raising interest in the ancient burial site and its links to wider Asian trade and cultural networks.
The latest discoveries were made on July 17 while archaeologists were relocating the first group of skeletons from the excavation site to the Fine Arts Department’s Science Centre for Conservation in Pathum Thani province.
The ornaments were found with Skeleton No. 4, the same skeleton in which archaeologists had earlier discovered an ancient seal ring inscribed with Brahmi script.
The newly discovered items include a spiral-style earring, a cylindrical gold earring and several gold beads.
Fine Arts Department Director-General Phanombut Chantarachot said he had received a report from the 1st Regional Office of Fine Arts in Ratchaburi on the discovery.
Archaeologists also found that one of the newly discovered gold hair ornaments was larger than similar ornaments unearthed previously. This could indicate the social status or importance of the individual buried with it, although further academic analysis is required.
The first group of skeletons, numbered one to four, has now been transported to the Science Centre for Conservation. Archaeologists from the 1st Regional Office of Fine Arts in Ratchaburi, curators from Phra Nakhon Khiri National Museum and conservation specialists jointly inspected the artefacts before cleaning, study and conservation work began in accordance with international standards.
The Fine Arts Department is also preparing to relocate the second group of skeletons, numbered five to eight, as well as a child skeleton found with a large bronze vessel placed over the body.
Experts will jointly design support structures and determine careful relocation methods to preserve the archaeological evidence as completely as possible.
The latest discovery adds to growing evidence about ancient burial practices, beliefs, daily life and contacts between communities in Thailand and civilisations elsewhere in Asia.
The Brahmi-inscribed seal ring, in particular, suggests that the site may have been connected to trade and cultural networks that extended across Asia thousands of years ago.
Don Yai Thong has emerged as an important archaeological research site, and further discoveries could provide new clues about the development of ancient communities in the region historically known as Suvarnabhumi. — The Nation/ANN
