Dong Lakhon ancient city

Dong Lakhon sits on a low plateau within Mueang Nakhon Nayok district in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand. It is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from downtown Nakhon Nayok, and not far south of the Nakhon Nayok river. The site is 6 square kilometres (600 ha) in area.^[1]

Dong Lakhon lies on a former shoreline of the Gulf of Thailand, among the moated towns of eastern Thailand occupied since at least the 6th century.^[2]: 4 Patcharaporn Ngernkerd and colleagues put its moat-enclosed area at 0.38 square kilometres (38 ha) and rank it a village, the smallest of the three ranks in their survey of fifteen moated sites in the region.^[2]: 9

The site's core is an oval area called Dong Lek, which most likely served as the residential quarter of the town's rulers, the rest of the population living around it.^[1] Dong Lek has a 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) perimeter, and is surrounded by an inner and outer set of ramparts and a moat. The outer rampart is much the smaller, at most 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) tall, and in places has eroded away entirely. In contrast, the inner rampart is much taller and more intact, being 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) tall. Both the moat and ramparts gave Dong Lek around 60 metres (200 ft) wide defences.^[3] These defences are typical of Dvaravati cities.^[1]

There are four gates into Dong Lek, at the north, east, south and west, the eastern one being the main entrance and called Nong Krapor.^[4] These gates are accompanied by ponds, which are assumed to have been dug or enlarged during the period of Khmer influence at the site. The pond by the north gate also served as a small laterite quarry. Both these ponds and moat still hold water during the wet season.^[3]

Around 250 metres (820 ft) north of Dong Lek are the remains of Dvaravati era structures. Historical site #1, locally called the 'House of Three Stones' (Thai: บ้านหินสามก้อน, romanized: Ban Hin Sam Korn), is a 75 square metres (810 sq ft) brick foundation of what would have been a Buddhist temple or shrine. Historical site #2 is the remains of a stupa. Only the laterite base and a two-layered hollow round stone carving remain. Nearby are the remains of smaller stupas.^[3] This group of Buddhist buildings stands at the outer moat, following the pattern of Dvaravati towns in the central plain, where religious architecture was usually raised outside the moat rather than within it.^[2]: 5

A Pali inscription carrying the ye dhammā formula has been recovered at the site.^[2]: 7

Imported goods are also recorded from Dong Lakhon. Sherds of Tang ceramics and of Persian Gulf turquoise-glazed ware have been reported from it.^[5]: 2533 Its glass beads were included in a compositional analysis of 186 beads from ten Dvaravati sites of the central plain. The site produced the only bead of faience in that sample, assigned to the Levant or Egypt, together with potash glass of Indian, Vietnamese or Chinese type.^[5]: 2536 Saritpong Khunsong groups Dong Lakhon with ancient Nakhon Pathom and U Thong as towns lying not far from the coast.^[5]: 2540

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  Pottery excavated from Dong Lakhon
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  Historical site #1: the remains of a temple
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  Historical site #2: remains of a stupa
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  Remains of the moat surrounding Dong Lek