castle hill

Terrain

General Condition

The castle hill is a large archaeological site. It is located next to Wat Mahathat. in the east of Wat Mahathat inside the city wall of Sukhothai Near the middle of the city (A little to the south)

Sukhothai is located on the plains of the river (Terrace) in the eastern foothills of the Pratak Mountains. The sediment deposited thus consists of soil, gravel, sand that is carried by the water from the mountains.

From the foothills, the area has a slope to the east to the Yom River, which is approximately 11 kilometers east of the ancient city. Klong Sao Ho which is a straight stream on the south side and Mae Lamphan Canal on the north and east side of the city and flows into the Yom River at the present Sukhothai Province.

The area between the ancient city of Sukhothai and the Yom River is a marsh. often have regular floods and some places have been trapped in water for months. Therefore, it may be one of the reasons why Sukhothai Old City is not located on the riverbank plain.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Khlong Sao Ho, Mae Lamphun Canal, Yom River

Geological conditions

Sukhothai is located on the plains of the river (Terrace) in the eastern foothills of the Pratak Mountains. which is a sedimentary mountain range in the Permian and Triassic periods consisted of many horns The sediment deposited thus consists of soil, gravel, sand that has been carried by water from the mountains. The soil is the Mae Taeng soil series (Mae Taeng series:Mt).

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

The castle hill is a large archaeological site. It is located next to Wat Mahathat. in the east of Wat Mahathat inside the city wall of Sukhothai Near the middle of the city (A little to the south)

King Rama VI (1977:41) surveyed the old city of Sukhothai in 1907 and assumed that An oval-shaped mound located on the east side of Wat Mahathat. Probably the courtyard of the castle and the castle.

However, the Fine Arts Department excavated the ancient site in 1983 and found the base of the building baked with a lotus-backed lotus base. The appearance is a large rectangular high base, size 27.5x51.5 meters, with stairs at the front and one at the back (Special Chia Chanphong 2003 :15)

Special Cheachanphong (2003:15) suggested that archaeological excavations have found no evidence to indicate that this place is a royal palace. Moreover, an old map made in the reign of King Rama V indicates that it is the same area as Wat Mahathat. It is a religious construction of a temple rather than a palace. Originally, the palace of the Sukhothai kings was supposed to be a wooden palace. The location should be above Ta Pha Daeng Shrine. Adjacent to Wat Sorasak to the west which the stone inscription of Wat Sorasak said was the palace of the Sukhothai lords In the middle of the 20th Buddhist century, this location is synonymous with the location of the Khmer King's Palace in Bangkok. or Angkor Thom

Prof. Dr. Sakchai Saising (2004 :35) suggested that the archaeological evidence that the Fine Arts Department excavated at the Prasat Hill, such as porcelain, was found from the earliest living soil layer in the pre-Sukhothai period. especially the Song Dynasty wares Qingbai wares that are small, such as jars and cassettes, are found together with Khmer wares. In addition, in other soil layers Yuan dynasty wares, Ming dynasty wares, Sukhothai wares, etc. were also found, indicating that this area is a residential area. not a religious place The wares found were good quality wares found in large numbers, different from other areas. Rare or found only unglazed pottery that is used in daily life. In addition to the location of this area is high. and may have been a residential community since the pre-Sukhothai period Therefore, it could be said that the inhabitants of this castle hill area could be aristocratic or possibly a royal palace. The building area may be compared to the palace of King Prakrombhahu I in the Palace of Ponnaruwa. Or if it's not a palace, it may be a place to treat disease or perform healing rituals. because they found the pill cartridges according to the assumption of special Chia Chanphong

The base of the building found Still can't definitively determine what is the base. because it is just a raised building base The upper part is probably a wooden building (Sakchai Saising 2004 :35)