Dong Muang Toei archaeological site

Terrain

General Condition

The archaeological site of Dong Muang Toei Ancient City is located in the northern area of ​​Dong Muang Toei Ancient City. This archaeological site now remains only the base of the building. The surrounding area is sparse forest and is the location of the Dong Muang Toei Monastery. No people's houses

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Chee River, Lam Chee Long, Nong Pod Thorn

Geological conditions

The geomorphology of the ancient city of Dong Muang Toei (Somdet Leelamanothonrom 2538) was caused by the deposition of river sediments. Especially the Chi River and the wind blows to remove the sediment. and there is a change in the area with different levels such as floodplains with sediments that have been carried over by water In the rainy season is often flooded. Most of the land is used for rice cultivation. Cultivation of kitchen garden and field crops The soil found is usually young. soil layer is unclear but there is abundance This is because it is a new sediment and is deposited almost every year.

The area of ​​the low-level river lagoon There will be a higher level than the flood plains above. but also have a flat area New sediment deposition does not occur. Except for some years that have a lot of flooding. There may be a thin layer of sediment deposited on the topsoil. It is a stable geological condition and is caused by the deposition of old sediments. In this area, the characteristics are evident and most of the soil is poorly drained. Take advantage of farming

Another area is the mid-level and high-level river crossings. The condition has risen from the lower level of the lagoon, respectively. and has an uneven undulating shape Mid-level lagoon area Most of the soil is brown, yellow or yellowish brown. In high-altitude areas, the soil is red with good drainage. These two levels are all formed by the deposition of river sediments. and the wind brought them together for a long time Therefore, the soil layer found in this area clearly has a new soil cross-section. Most of the soil utilization is for growing field crops, horticultural crops, and fruit trees, some of which are still in natural forests such as deciduous dipterocarp forests and mixed deciduous forests.

Soil in Dong Muang Toei area Consisting of Roi Et Series and Loamy Phase and Korat Series.

Dong Muang Toei Ancient Community Probably settled in a low-level landscaping area. Due to the elevation of the area from the military map It is about 126 meters above sea level. The low-level Lantapak plain has an elevation of 120-150 meters above sea level, and the soil in this area is the Roi Et Series and the Korat Series. Both soils are the soil series found. in the low-level lagoon courtyard The Roi Et soil series is classified as low humic clay. which is suitable for rice cultivation

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Dong Muang Toei Archaeological Site is located in the east of Dong Muang Toei Ancient City. This archaeological site now remains only the base of the building.

Dong Muang Toei Ancient Community have lived for a long time From the prehistoric period, the Metal Age, about 2,500 years ago, inscriptions and archaeological evidence show the cultural influence of the Chenla Kingdom that spread to this area.

During the 12th-13th Buddhist century, a moat was dug and an embankment was built around the city. The people of the ancient city of Dong Muang Toei mainly practiced Hinduism. The text in the inscription mentions the creation of Shiva Lingam. Dong Muang Toei archaeological site was built in this period and the style of the archaeological site is probably influenced by Khmer art in the pre-Phra Nakhon period. (Buddhist century 12-14)

During the later period, around the 14th-15th Buddhist century, this community would have converted to Buddhism. As has been found evidence of the semaphore leaves. Found that both embroidered in the ancient site and embroidered in one area The way people live and the development of this community continues.

Around the 16th-17th Buddhist century, the influence of Khmer culture clearly spread. The use of ancient sites as the center of the city continues. As seen, a floating sculpture of a lion is characterized by the Bapuan Khmer art style. After the middle of the 17th Buddhist century onwards, there is no clear evidence of people's inhabitants at this community. After the 18th Buddhist century, this ancient city and archaeological site must have been abandoned because no evidence of its inhabitants was found in the later periods. Come on

From the discovery of archaeological evidence of the Dong Muang Toei Monastery in 1982 and excavation - excavation in 1991, the artifacts can be classified into sandstone types. including architectural elements and terracotta type Including various types of earthenware containers

Characteristics of architecture (Somdej Leelamnotham 1995)

The archaeological site looks like a brick building without mortar. rectangular chart As far as remains, about 1.7 meters high, about 5 meters wide, and about 5.5 meters long, the base of the building consists of a 4-tier chopping board. which is divided into rectangular compartments Inside, there is a small square pattern overlapping in 3 layers, above it is a facing lotus called Bua Ruan, and the top board

The base of the first floor or the bottom floor is larger than the base of the second floor. It is the base that extends from the building to the east. The first floor chopping board is approximately 9x12.5 meters, the second floor chopping board is approximately 7x8 meters, and the 3rd and 4th chopping board are approximately 6x6 meters.

Next to the base of the chopping board is a lotus base consisting of the lower plank, the inverted lotus, the wooden base, the facing lotus and the top board. Between the wood and the lotus flower facing upside down there is a small lotus wire. Separated on both the top and bottom, 1 layer each.

Inside the wood, rectangular holes were drilled at intervals. From the remaining characteristics, it is expected that there should be 3 channels on each side, separated by a brick line. The interior of the rectangle has three rows of smaller squares strung together. The pattern inside the rectangle is still evident on the north and west sides.

The facing lotus floor is decorated with lotus patterns in a row. It is expected that they will continue to line up along the facing lotus. but only some evidence remains at the north and west sides.

Next to the cornice facing up, only 4-5 floors of bricks are left. On the north and south sides of the building, there are traces of brick notches into pillar holes into the base of this building.

This building faces east. The chopping board base on the 1st and 2nd floors has bricks protruding to the east. And there is a recess by the 1st floor chopping board, 3 corners, the 2nd floor chopping board, 2 corners. There are traces of round pillar holes on both edges. The chopping board base on the 1st floor has 2 pairs of hole marks, while the 2nd floor chopping board has 1 pair of holes.

on the north and east of the sides of the first floor cutting board that protrudes to the east There is a small square pattern within one row of large squares.

At the entrance to the east, adjacent to the chopping board base on the 1st floor, there is a 1-storey curly-shaped grandstand. After the grandstand, there is a brick-patterned walkway in front, approximately 28 meters long. Bricks are rectangular, multi-layered. The middle is higher than the others.

Around the building there are bricks of various irregular shapes. The bricks are arranged in an orderly manner. Chad is divided into various shapes. In the north, about 1.5 meters from the base of the chopping board on the 1st floor, there is a square-shaped brick line in the middle with a square hole.

Excavation to study the base of the building of the Fine Arts Unit 6 near the base on the west side of the center of the base. It was found that the foundation on the lowest floor of this building was pebbled sand. The next floor is filled with slag from iron smelting to form the base of another building.

Next to the pebbled sand layer that forms the base of the building down to the soil layer where the fragments of the earthenware were found. The form and texture of the container are the same as those obtained from the cultural layer excavation pit in the 2nd natural soil layer, that is, the soil container. The texture is quite coarse. Water the red clay

Determination of age

The characteristics of the aforementioned building bases can be compared with those of the building bases in the pre-Bangkok Khmer art in the Sombor Phrai Kuk style. Age around the middle of the 12th Buddhist century to the early 13th Buddhist century

The base of Dong Muang Toei archaeological site can be compared with the base of Hua Chai (Han Chei) archaeological site in Sambor Prei Kok. Cambodia By making a large chopping board base 1 layer, next up is a lotus base that consists of the lower board. simple inverted lotus a wooden bottom which is divided into rectangular compartments The interior is made of a checkerboard pattern. Between the rectangular spaces are made of flora motifs, facing lotuses and the top board. Between the base of the chopping board and the lower board and the cornice, there are 2 layers of roasted cornice wire, one layer made in a square pattern. Inside there is a small square. which is also found at the base of the chopping board on the ground floor or the first floor of the Dong Muang Toei archaeological site as well.

It can also be compared with other ancient monuments such as Prasat Sombor Prai Kuk Mu North 21, whose base is similar to Dong Muang Toei archaeological site. The bottom of the lotus base is a simple base that is supposed to be an inverted lotus. The area of ​​the tree is divided into rectangular compartments. The interior is made of a checkerboard pattern. Next up is a lotus flower which is decorated with lotus flowers. as well as Dong Muang Toei archaeological site (Somdet Leelamanotham 1995)

The strokes are small square grids. which is within the rectangle of Dong Muang Toei archaeological site. It looks different from the checkerboard pattern. (Which has convex protrusions alternately) of the archaeological site of Sambor Prai Kuk as mentioned above. The reason for this may be due to the art style of the indigenous people that have made some patterns of their own. Or far from the center of the arts is Sambor Prei Kuk. Therefore, some patterns are made differently. But still some common characteristics are similar. is to make a square (Somdet Leelamanotham 1995)

In addition, this checkerboard pattern is also found on the base of the elemental house of the microprathon. Nakhon Pathom Province which is an ancient site in Dvaravati art (Buddhist century 12-16) during the first building period Around the middle of the 12th Buddhist century (Piriya Krairiksh 1985:27) and the Bua Ruan pattern was also found to be used as an architectural decorative pattern in Dvaravati art, such as a piece of stupa discovered in Nakhon Pathom Province. The Bua Ruan pattern is also similar to the scrolled leaf pattern under the garland and bun bun pattern of the lintel in the Sambor Prai Kuk Khmer art style. found from Prasat Khao Noi Sa Kaeo Province This scroll pattern is also the same as the one found on the wall of Sombor Prai Kuk Temple under the 8th building (Smithi Siripat and Mayuree Weeraprasert 1990 :64).

In front of the 1st floor chopping board in the east which is the entrance of Dong Muang Toei archaeological site. It is brick-shaped in the form of a one-storey amphitheater. Prof. Jean Boisselier said that the first steps that form the curly wings appear only in architecture that accepts Khmer traditions. (Chong Bosselier 1968:61) Amphitheaters in Khmer art before Bangkok were usually overlapping two floors, initially appearing as simple, thin curly braces and connected by means of spiral pattern like the amphitheater at Prei Chek Castle in Prei Meng style (late 12th Buddhist century to mid 13th Buddhist century) (Boisselier 1966 :195)

The amphitheater of Dong Muang Toei archaeological site is made of bricks in the shape of a thin curly wing, one layer at the end of a roughly small arc-shaped circle at the end of the arch. May be compared to the amphitheater of the castles in Khmer art during the 12th-13th century, such as Prei Chek in the Prai Keng style (Somdet Leelamnotham 1995).

From a comparative study of the aforementioned architectural features, it is assumed that this ancient monument of Dong Muang Toei is probably the architecture that was influenced by the Khmer art in the pre-Angkor period that dates back to the 12th-13th century.