Archaeologists in Thailand uncovered 33 ancient gold, silver, and bronze treasures beneath a 1,300-year-old reclining Buddha statue.
They found rare repoussé metal sheets depicting Buddha and intricate artistry, showcasing Dvaravati-era craftsmanship and ritual offerings.
The Phimai National Museum is preserving these historic finds, including ornate jewelry and ritual artifacts, for further study and conservation.
Digging a drainage system is rarely an exciting process. But ‘rarely’ doesn’t mean ‘never,’ as was recently proven in Thailand when crews discovered a trove of gold treasures under the a famous reclining Buddha statue, located inside the Wat Thammachak Sema Ram temple complex.
While digging over four feet below the sandstone statue, crews ran into a ceramic container. Inside that container were 33 ancient ornaments of gold, silver, and bronze, according to a translated statement from Thailand’s Fine Arts Department.
The items included gold rings, silver earrings, and a pair of special bronze hoop earrings in the same style as others from the Dvaravati period (about 1,300 years ago) that have been found across the country.
With one box of treasure found, crews were quick to search for more while continuing their conservation work at the Phra Non archaeological site. Digging around what is considered the country’s longest (the sculpture is 43 feet long) and oldest (created around 657 A.D.) reclining Buddha statue, they made three additional finds, which included hammered metal sheets covered in intricate artistry that had been created with a technique known as repoussé.
One such discovery—a rectangular sheet of gold about three inches by five inches in size—depicts a seated Buddha in the pose of a teacher. The figure is shown with spiral curls, a large halo, elongated earlobes, and a robe over one of his shoulders. A small hole in the top right corner of the artwork means that it was likely hung with string, and could have either been worn or used as decoration, said Phanombutr Chantrachot, the director-general of the Fine Arts Department.
Another repoussé sheet (this one made of a lead-tin alloy) also featured a representation of a Buddha, this time standing in an arched frame. This piece, which is about 4.5 inches by 6 inches, also depicts two attendants next to the Buddha figure. The left attendant was no longer discernible because of damage, but the attendant on the right might be the Thai expression of the Hindu god Brahma.
The third piece is comprised of stacked metal sheets crammed inside packed clay, with cement between the metal. Due to damage, Chantrachot said, it was unclear exactly how many layers of metal were included. But while it was difficult to determine what was depicted on the metal, Chantrachot said that the location engraved behind the Buddha’s reclining head has lead experts to believe that the artwork was some sort of ritual offering purposely placed in the spot in which it was found.
The Phimai National Museum is now conserving and cataloging the golden finds.
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