Draft:Mueang U-Tapao
15°16′58″N 100°11′27″E / 15.28278°N 100.19083°E
เมืองอู่เภา | |
 Bronze double denarius of the Gallic Roman emperor Victorinus (269-271 AD) found at U Thong, Thailand. | |
 | |
| Location | Manorom, Chai Nat, Thailand |
|---|---|
| Type | Human settlement |
| Area | 19.37 square kilometres (1,937 ha) |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 300-600 AD |
| Abandoned | 1st: c. 1000 AD 2nd: 1767 AD |
| Periods | Ancient history |
| Cultures | Dvaravati |
| Associated with | Mon people |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1903 |
| Excavation dates | 1930 |
| Archaeologists | |
| Condition | Partial restoration |
| Ownership | Public |
| Management | Fine Arts Department, no entry fee |
| Public access | Yes |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | |
Mueang U-Tapao was an ancient settlement located in the U-Tapao subdistrict, Manorom, Chai Nat province, dated to the Dvaravati period from the 6th–10th centuries.[1] With a size of 5 kilometers in diameter, it was the largest Dvaravati settlement known today.
The city consists of 2 parts: the inner city is surrounded by a moat with a 3 meter high embankment in a rectangular shape with dimensions of 500*500 meters. The outer city is surrounded by a moat and embankment in a rather circular shape with a diameter of approximately 5 kilometers. Therefore, U-Tapao ancient city can be considered the largest Dvaravati community that has been discovered.
Mueang U-Tapao was officially excavated in 1963 by Manit Vallipodom (มานิตย์ วัลลิโภดม).[1]
Findings
[edit]- The area was settled since the late pre-history era.[1]
- Iron smelting and burial traditions have existed since the late prehistoric period. This is assumed from evidence of smelting furnaces and iron ore slag left over from smelting in the area of the ancient city of U-Tapao, as well as graves with skeletons found in this ancient city. Later, when this area entered the Dvaravati culture, Dvaravati cultural artifacts were found both in the city and in the area near this ancient city, including earthen lamps, silver coins with conch shell seals, Srivatsa, and fragments of stone Dharmachakra, and octagonal pillars inscribed with Pallava script and Pali.[1]
- Utapao Ancient City is believed to be an ancient city from the Dvaravati period. Locals believe that it was the city of King U Thong. People have found silver coins from the Dvaravati period and ancient human remains in this area.[2]
- Around the city, there is an irrigation system and ponds. There are two other ancient cities nearby, Nakhon Noi and Nang Lek, which are a group of cities in the Dvaravati period. There is a river running almost in the middle of the area. There is a moat about 19 meters wide and an earthen embankment about 9 meters high. In the area of U-Tapao city and the surrounding area of the city, there are ancient sites from the Dvaravati period, between the 11th and 16th Buddhist centuries, scattered over a wide area. A stone Dharmachakra and an octagonal pillar with a circular brick base, 7 meters in diameter and 80 centimeters high, have been found. The base that stands or supports the octagonal pillar and the Dharmachakra is 2 meters in diameter. There is an inscription in Pallava script in the Pali language, titled Dharmachakrapavattana Sutta.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "อู่ตะเภา เมืองโบราณในวัฒนธรรมทวารวดี ที่ชัยนาท" [U-Tapao, an ancient city in the Dvaravati culture in Chai Nat]. Fine Arts Department (in Thai). 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ a b "แหล่งศิลปะวัฒนธรรมที่ควรอนุรักษ์: เมืองโบราณอู่ตะเภา" [Cultural and artistic resources that should be preserved: Utapao Ancient City]. Office Of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (in Thai). 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2025.