Ancient ovens found to have a magnetic appeal
Armed with hi-tech equipment and advanced technology, government archaeologists and surveyors are excavating two historic sites in Phitsanulok believed to contain more than 50 16th-century kilns.
The first site is an 11-rai plot at the Ta Pa Khao temple and school in Muang district. The other is at the school compound next to an 800-metre stretch of the Nan River. Two kilns were unearthed here in 1984, 3.5 metres below the surface. The Fine Arts and Mineral Resources departments are conducting the joint excavation. It started on Saturday and should be completed on Sunday. Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University in Phitsanulok is funding the operation. Local Fine Arts Department chief Tharaphong Srisuchart, who is based in neighbouring Sukhothai, said the kilns were believed to have produced clay ware for the entire Phitsanulok realm. It was colonised by the Sukhothai kingdom five hundred years ago. He said the kilns found in Phitsanulok were likely built at a similar time to that of the Thu Riang kilns found in Sukhothai. Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University archaeologist Khrongsak Phummarin said Thu Riang kilns and the first two kilns found in Phitsanulok used similar technology and were "sophisticated". The brick kilns used diagonal channels to better heat earthenware making it more durable and allowing glazing to last longer. Mineral resources official Preecha Laochoo said the joint excavation would be easier than that of 1984 because of technological advancements. Magnetometers can quickly locate kilns. A magnetometer measures the strength and direction of magnetic fields and can detect the kilns because of the magnetism of heat-hardened clay bricks.
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