AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE BAN TUM KILNS





Next to the Khlong Sra Bua Kilns, kilns at Ban Tum were also discovered. A part of this area was excavated in 2018-19 CE by the 3rd Region of the Fine Arts Department. Archaeological research at the Wat Nang Loeng kiln site was further conducted during 2021 CE to preserve the kiln site and develop it into a centre for historical and archaeological education.


Previously, ancient kilns were documented near Wat Tha Khlong, slightly south of Wat Nang Loeng. Both locations are situated along Khlong Wat Tum, a section of the former Lopburi River before Khlong Bang Khuat was excavated through the river's loop. These sites are on elevated land adjacent to canal systems and date back to the Ayutthaya period (14th–18th centuries CE).





The Wat Nang Loeng kilns


The Wat Loeng Kilns were discovered when a land leasee dug a large pond and found pottery shards. The site is on private land and is not officially designated as a historic ruin. Archaeologist Alisa Khaoplab (Fine Arts Department - Region 3) led a preliminary survey and excavation in 2018 CE. The survey is planned to be followed by a project to conserve and develop the furnace source at Wat Nang Loeng.


According to a Monthon Krung Kao map dated 1916 CE, Wat Nang Loeng is shown as a ruin, east of Wat Sasada on the north side of the road. The kilns were discovered on the south side of the road. Based on a survey I conducted in 2009 CE, additional kilns may lie west of the excavated area.





(Broken brick remnants west of the excavated site - Picture taken April 2009 CE)



The Nang Loeng kiln site is situated along Khlong Wat Tum Canal, approximately 3 to 3.5 kilometres north-west of the Khlong Sra Bua kilns. The excavation uncovered a new pottery kiln site, indicating the significance of pottery production in local communities during the Ayutthaya period.


Nang Loeng, or Bulky Ladies, are large terracotta water storage pots. Alisa Khaoplab defines them as follows: “Nang Loeng pots, or E-Loeng pots (Nang Loeng means large jar or pot), are large, round-bottomed earthenware vessels with a mouth diameter of 30-50 centimetres, a body width of approximately 50-60 centimetres, and a height of about 40 centimetres.” The name "Nang Loeng" is derived from the Cambodian language, "Chanang Loeng," which translates to "big pot."


Simon de La Loubère wrote in his work “A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam” that river water was collected in great jars, but it could not be drunk without danger until they had let it stand in the jars for three weeks to a month.


"For when the waters retire, and they are filled with mud, and perhaps with the ill juices which they take from the earth, or when the river is re-enteredinto its channel sufficiently muddy, they are more corrosive, do cause disenteries and lasks, and cannot be drunk without danger, till they have them stand in greatjars or pitchers, the space of three weeks or a month." [1]


The Smithsonian National Museum of Art has some examples in their collection.





(Nang Loeng Pot - National Museum of Asian Art Collection - S2005.383)



The temple's designation as Wat Nang Leung, opposite the excavated kilns, suggests that this area was also likely associated with pottery production. It also indicates that the small village of Ban Tum supported the kilns. The temple itself may never have served as a monastery, but it may have been used as a storage area.


The 2021 CE excavation uncovered four updraft kilns within a 15-by-20-meter area. The kilns are clustered and built from brick and clay.





(The Wat Nang Loeng kilns - Picture taken July 2021 CE)



The details of each kiln chamber are as follows [2]:


Kiln No. 1 was discovered during the 2018 excavation. It is an oval-shaped kiln measuring 3.6 by 3.25 metres. Inside, there are two oval-shaped brick platforms for placing pottery at the centre of the chamber. The kiln floor is cemented, and the walls are lined with clay. Gaps exist between the platforms and between the platforms and the kiln walls, used to insert firewood as fuel for firing. The kiln walls, which reach the ceiling, are damaged.





(Kiln No 1 - Picture by Alisa Khaoplab - Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook post of 2 July 2021 CE)



Kiln No. 2 was situated south of Kiln No. 1. The kiln chamber is oval-shaped, approximately 3 by 2.7 metres. It has no pottery platforms. The floor is cemented, and the walls are lined with clay. The kiln walls extending to the ceiling are damaged.





(Kiln No 2 - Picture by Alisa Khaoplab - Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook post of 2 July 2021 CE)



Kiln No. 3 was an oval-shaped kiln measuring approximately 2 by 2.4 metres. It features an oval-shaped brick platform with a cemented surface and a hole in the centre. There is a gap between the platform and the kiln wall. The kiln wall is lined with clay, while the wall extending to the ceiling is damaged.





(Kiln No 3 - Picture by Alisa Khaoplab - Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook post of 2 July 2021 CE)



Kiln No. 4 is an oval-shaped kiln measuring about 3 by 2 metres. The kiln chamber features a brick platform in the centre, similar to kilns No. 1 and No. 3. The kiln floor is coated with cement, and the walls are lined with clay, though the wall extending to the ceiling is damaged.





(Kiln No 4 - Picture by Alisa Khaoplab - Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook post of 2 July 2021 CE)



The products from the kilns include Nang Loeng pots and Choeng Kran stoves. Numerous fragments of both types of vessels have been discovered during excavations. Many pieces are in near-perfect condition, while some are distorted and deformed from the firing process. Some products were also found inside the kiln chambers.


Choeng Kran stoves are cooking devices with a curved design and an open fire chamber on one side. The base includes a curved protrusion for inserting fuel, and the wall is equipped with protruding pillars to support the vessels.





(Choeng Kran Stove - National Museum of Asian Art Collection - S2005.410)



The Wat Nang Loeng kilns appear to produce solely earthenware. No evidence of human burial or ritual activity was found near these kilns they seem to be exclusively production sites rather than religious locations. These kilns were probably intended for local and regional markets rather than for long-distance export.




(Choeng Kran Stove - National Museum of Asian Art Collection - FS-7270_30)



The Wat Tha Khlong Kilns


Near Wat Tha Khlong, kilns were also documented in earlier years. The kiln site appears on a 1993 CE map by the Fine Arts Department and in a slightly different location on a 2007 CE FAD map. Modern satellite imagery confirms that no visible kiln ruins remain above ground. No recent professional excavations have been reported.





Local tradition mentions kilns near Wat Tha Khlong (Elephant Herd Landing). Sadly, the entire area has been levelled and is now overgrown. Wat Tha Khlong’s kilns were known only from memory and incidental discoveries, not through systematic archaeology. No official excavation took place.


The Wat Tha Khlong furnaces were probably brick-built updraft kilns, similar to those at other Ayutthaya sites, such as Khlong Sra Bua, rectangular brick chambers with fireboxes and chimneys. It is believed that similar water jars and storage pots were produced, as evidenced by excavations at the Wat Nang Loeng kiln site.





The kilns were probably abandoned and destroyed when Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese in 1767 CE.


The Ban Tum kilns at Wat Nang Loeng and Wat Tha Khlong are relatively under-documented Ayutthaya ceramic workshops. Although initial reports confirm their existence, much remains to be researched. Coordinated archaeological and archival studies are essential to fully understand their production, chronology, and role in Ayutthaya’s ceramic economy.


References:


[1] Loubère, Simon (de la) (1693). A new Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam (2 Tomes). London. Edited by John Villiers. Bangkok: White Lotus, 1986. p 21.

[2] Khaoplab, Alisa (2021). Knowledge about the source of the Wat Nang Loeng kilns. Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook post of 2 July 2021.



WAT NANG LOENG KILNS



Pictures taken in July 2021 CE



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(Alexis de Tocqueville)





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