Rediscovering ancient civilisations

"It is because Isan features many mountains, which cavemen used as shelter and left their imprints through rock paintings," said Sunisa Chitrbhandh, an anthropologist and director of the administration office of the Fine Arts Department. Although a few ancient paintings were found in the Central Region, there are not as many as in the Northeast, she added. Take the famous paintings on the cliff at Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani as an example. The prehistoric rock paintings, which include the giant Mekong catfish, elephants and human hands, are estimated to be at least 3,000 years old. In addition, there are also paintings dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani showing figures of men with hunting tools and oxen. "The paintings may mean they were farmers or hunters," Sunisa noted. There are also groups of ancient paintings over a cliff in Nakhon Ratchasima. One group is known as the most beautiful prehistoric painting of people found in Thailand. It shows a group of people wearing what looks like skirts made of leaves. They are men, women and children engaging in activities ranging from hunting to dancing and playing. It is believed that the paintings were created by people living in the area around 3,000-4,000 years ago. But the colour has never faded. "It is fortunate that those paintings in Nakhon Ratchasima are taken care of by monks of Wat Khao Chan Ngam," Sunisa said. The temple also put a seated Buddha image below the painted cliff as a virtual fence to stop people from getting too close to the cliff. Apart from the ancient paintings, the northeastern region also contains evidence of prehistoric settlements in Ban Chiang, Udon Thani. The archaeological site showed people knew how to farm, build and use tools like metal instruments and clay pots. Evidence of this is kept at the Ban Chiang museum and dates back to 1,800-5,600 years. Bang Chiang is also listed as a Unesco World Heritage site and is regarded as the most important prehistoric settlement discovered in Southeast Asia. The Dvaravati period (9th-12th century) also brought its culture to the Northeast. For example, gigantic, weird shaped rocks in Phu Phrabat Historical Park in Udon Thani are believed to be a cluster of Dvaravati temples dating back 1,200 years. Historians suggest that the rocks were sacred places due to the layout of sema, a temple boundary stone marker, encircling a large sacred stone, according to park officer Thada Sungthong. The format was unique to the Dvaravati period as the sema stones were placed in eight directions. Phu Phrabat is one of the places where visitors can still see the layout of an ancient Dvaravati temple, Thada said. A cultural tour in Isan must not end without a visit to Khmer-influenced sites. One newly renovated site is Prasat Phanom Wan in Nakhon Ratchasima, first built 1,105 years ago by Khmer King Yasovarman I, as a Hindu temple. It was turned into a Buddhist temple during the Ayutthaya period. The ruin is still a sacred place for locals, and houses standing Buddha images, ancient Khmer inscriptions and lintels. Exploring Isan's archaeological sites lets people understand the fact that the Northeast is home to ancient civilisations in Thailand. From bangkokpost