Ancient Town of Si Thep

ศรีเทพ

Thailand · Phetchabun

Ancient cityIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 2023
Approximate period500 CE — 1,000 CEDvaravati; principal monumental urban phase See on the map ↓

In brief

Si Thep is an important Dvaravati center consisting of inner and outer towns surrounded by moats. Excavations in and around the city have uncovered Buddhist and Hindu buildings as well as earlier burials.

What was found?

  • 1Elephant skeleton

    A fairly complete elephant skeleton was found during excavation in the inner city; ceramic vessels and fragments of grinding stones were nearby. The find is important for investigating the context of human and animal remains in the urban area.

  • 2Human burials with grave goods

    Bronze bracelets, an iron tool, agate and terracotta beads, and ceramic vessels were found in deeper burials. The source dates these human remains to approximately 2,000 years ago.

  • 3Human remains reburied in vessels

    It was determined that some bones had been placed in ceramic vessels and reburied after the initial burial. This find shows that funerary practices could involve more than one stage.

  • 4Laterite wall remains

    A wall made of laterite stone was uncovered in the part of the excavation near the surface. Together with the deeper elephant and human remains, it documented different phases of use at the site.

What does it point to?

Si Thep's burials shed light on life and funerary traditions before the monumental Dvaravati city. The later city and religious monuments show a center where Indian influences merged with local art and different beliefs were represented.

What did it teach us?

  1. It revealed earlier human burials in the area containing the Dvaravati monuments.
  2. It documented that bones could be placed in vessels and reburied after the initial burial.
  3. The city and surrounding monuments demonstrated the religious diversity of the Dvaravati period and the local Si Thep artistic tradition.

Record

Culture
Dvaravati
Team / historical
Fine Arts Department of Thailand
Coordinates
15.4658°, 101.1511°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. whc.unesco.org
  3. qrcode.finearts.go.th
  4. finearts.go.th

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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