KHON KAEN — An ancient skeleton thought to be around 1,500 years old has been found in the backyard of a home in Kranuan district.
The remains were unearthed along with many daily-life objects at the Moo 8 village home of Boonhome Bombkote in Nong Kung Yai sub-district. The excavated objects were from the Iron Age, suggesting the human remains were at least 1,500 years old, archaeologist Siriwan Thongkham said.
Ms Siriwan said the teeth and backbone were in good condition. Residents earlier stole a total of 13 items from the site but later returned all of them to authorities after the fine arts office warned them of penalties under the laws governing national historic sites and artefacts.
The stolen items included three rings, as well as 10 bracelets and spearheads.
Mr Boonhome told officials that three men came to his home on May 15 and asked if they could have his permission to use a ground scanner to look for artefacts on his plantation. After he gave them permission, the men dug holes at different spots on the property until dawn and drove off with 19 armlets. The men told Mr Boonhome the items were old treasures found at the burial site of an ancient skeleton.
Mr Boonhome led his relatives to check the site and dig down deeper until they found the skull of the skeleton and alerted authorities who later conducted an excavation.
The landlord declined to elaborate further why he allowed the three strangers to search for artefacts on his land and made off with the 19 armlets.
Watcharadej Kiatchanon, chief of Kranuan district, said police and responsible officials are working to recover the 19 armlets from the three unidentified men. The excavation site has been sealed off as local archaeologists are still working to gather more data.