Thread: Ancient sculpture discovered in Buri Ram

The Fine Arts Department today sent archaeologists to Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in the northeastern province of Buri Ram after villagers, foraging for mushrooms, reported seeing a sculpture hewn into a rock.


From pictures taken by the villagers, the sculpture appears to depict a female holding a tree branch above her.


Pakpoom Yupon, chief of Phanom Rung Historical Park, said the archaeologists, accompanied by local officials, visited the site on Krajiew mountain to photograph and document the sculpture, as the villagers had only taken photos from a single angle.

He also said that the group will inspect the area around the sculpture to collect raw information for analysis, such as its approximate age and the name of the female in the sculpture. “We plan to talk to local villagers to gather more details, such as when they first found the sculpture.”


He added that there is no information yet on the exact location on the mountain where the sculpture was found.


Non Din Daeng district, where the sculpture is located, is an ancient historic site in Nong Hong sanctuary near Lam Nang Rong Dam, Pakpoom said.


“A lintel, depicting Yama, the God of Death, riding a buffalo, was once smuggled from the sanctuary. It was retrieved from the Asia Art Museum in San Francisco in 2021 and returned to the site. The lintel is now displayed in an exhibition room in Phanom Rung Historical Park,” he added.

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Sculpture recently found in Buri Ram unlikely to be ancient

The sculpture found in Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in the northeastern province of Buri Ram recently is unlikely to be an ancient artifact, based on the information collected by a survey team, Pakpoom Yupon, chief of Phanom Rung Historical Park, said today.


The sculpture is the only object of its kind in the area, Pakpoom said. If the area were to be a historic site, there should be other items there.


A group of villagers, foraging for mushrooms, spotted the artefact and alerted the authorities. The Fine Arts Department then sent a team of archaeologists to inspect the sculpture, which is on the Krajiew mountain in Non Din Daeng district.


Pakpoom said the information collected from the site clearly shows that the form of the sculpture does not match that of other artefacts in the southern part of the northeastern region.


“It is likely that the sculpture is not an ancient artefact. Moreover, wildlife officials noted that, 23-30 years ago, a group of monks lived there and they reportedly had certain artistic skills,” Pakpoom said.


Furthermore, most parts of the sculpture are still intact and well defined, whereas ancient artifacts usually exhibit some erosion caused by wind, rain and sun.

Sculpture recently found in Buri Ram unlikely to be ancient | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world