While Excavating a Simple Drainage Trench, They Uncovered a 1,300-Year-Old Hoard of Gold
An unexpected archaeological find has revealed ancient treasures beneath a reclining Buddha statue at the Wat Thammachak Sema Ram temple complex in Thailand. The discovery, made during routine drainage works at the Phra Non archaeological site, provides new evidence about Thailand’s long history and has attracted attention from both scholars and enthusiasts.
What was found under the Buddha
While digging about 1.22 metres below the surface of the 13.11-metre long sandstone statue, described as Thailand’s oldest and longest reclining Buddha, workers discovered a ceramic container holding 33 finely made ornaments. These items, fashioned from gold, silver, and bronze, were buried in the Dvaravati period, roughly 1,300 years ago around 657 A.D. The first haul included gold rings, silver earrings, and a special pair of bronze hoop earrings, all typical of Dvaravati-era jewellery found across Thailand.
Thailand’s Fine Arts Department reported the find and said further searches uncovered three more groups of objects. These comprised hammered metal sheets known as repoussé, stacked metal sheets encased in packed clay, and material sealed in cement: evidence of skilled ancient metalwork. All the items are now under careful conservation and study at the Phimai National Museum.
What the repoussé pieces reveal
The repoussé metal sheets have proved particularly interesting. Repoussé object A, a rectangular gold sheet about 7.6 cm by 12.7 cm, shows a seated Buddha in the teaching pose. It’s detailed with spiral curls, a large halo, long earlobes and a robe over one shoulder. Phanombutr Chantrachot, director-general of the Fine Arts Department, says: “It was likely hung with string and could have either been worn or used as decoration,” pointing to a small hole on the piece.
Repoussé object B is a lead, tin alloy sheet, roughly 11.4 cm by 15.2 cm, depicting a standing Buddha set within arches and flanked by two attendants. The left attendant is badly damaged, while the right may represent the Hindu god Brahma rendered in a Thai style. These images illustrate the mixed religious and cultural influences of the Dvaravati era.
A ritual offering tucked behind the Buddha
Among the finds was Repoussé object C, made of stacked metal sheets now tarnished and trapped in packed clay and cement. Found behind the reclining Buddha’s head, this piece is thought to be a ritual offering deliberately placed there; its position suggests intentional veneration. Although heavily damaged, its location points to a ceremonial purpose. As Phanombutr Chantrachot puts it: “The location engraved behind the Buddha’s reclining head has led experts to believe that the artwork was some sort of ritual offering purposely placed in the spot in which it was found.”
What this tells us about the Dvaravati era
The discovery adds information about the Dvaravati period and deepens knowledge of Thailand’s ancient past. With objects dated to over 1,300 years ago, the finds reinforce the antiquity of the Phra Non site and shed light on the religious and artistic life of the time. Conservation work is ongoing at the Phimai National Museum, where these treasures are being studied in detail.
The finds will inform further study into the ceremonies and metalworking techniques that produced such objects.