Revisiting Sdok Kok Thom, Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand: Settlement, Irrigation, and Dating

Tawanrat Chainarapipat1*, Pimchanok Pongkasetkan2, and Monton Yongprawat3

The discovery of Prasat Sdok Kok Thom in 1901 and its inscription in 1920 by the French explorer Étienne Aymonier revealed major insights into ancient Khmer history, with the inscription dated to the 11th century AD. However, after this initial work, few archaeological investigations, absolute dating programmes, or scientific analyses were undertaken, even during the restoration and anastylosis project conducted by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand in the 1990s. Between 2019 and 2026, the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, and the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (Public Organization) undertook a geo‑archaeological project at Sdok Kok Thom. Survey work, remote sensing, and seven test pits were completed on the embankments of Lalom and the baray, as well as on unclear earthen dikes near the enclosure wall of the monument. The OSL technique was used for dating stratigraphy and deposits, alongside isotope analysis of water from the baray and nearby underground sources. Excavation near the enclosure wall also unearthed habitation layers containing Northern Song ceramics, Phnom Kulen ware, and local ceramics, illustrating activity around the monument. The OSL and AMS dating suggest that both the habitation area and the baray constructions belong to the same phase as the stylistic features of the monument and its inscription.