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Landmarks in time

A Timeline of Siam

The major periods, from the earliest cultures to contemporary Thailand, and the content linked to them. Dates are conventional and approximate.

  1. Prehistory & early cultures

    Period of : Ban Non Wat, Khok Phanom Di

    A person wearing a woven conical hat bends over in a flooded paddy field, transplanting young rice seedlings. From Rain-Fed Rice to the World Market: How Rice Cultivation Shaped Thai Society Understand · 13 min read Carved squatting figure with raised arms, tall headdress and large ear ornaments, supporting a cornice above. Dvaravati, the ‘First Mon Kingdom’ of the Central Plain: Rulers, Figures and Neighbours (6th–11th Century) Understand · 13 min read
  2. c. 600– 1100

    Dvaravati

    Period of : Nakhon Pathom, U Thong, Si Thep, Camadevi (Chamathewi), Lopburi (Lavo)

    Influenced by : Khmer Empire

    Falls under the theme : History, Kingdoms & the Making of Siam

    Associated with : Mon

    Pink sandstone Khmer sanctuary facade with a low gallery, central doorway and carved tower behind. Temples, roads and Angkorian power: the Khmer imprint on the lands of the future Siam Understand · 13 min read Carved squatting figure with raised arms, tall headdress and large ear ornaments, supporting a cornice above. Dvaravati, the ‘First Mon Kingdom’ of the Central Plain: Rulers, Figures and Neighbours (6th–11th Century) Understand · 13 min read
  3. 802– 1431

    Khmer Empire

    Period of : Jayavarman VII, Suryavarman I, Phimai, Phanom Rung, Lopburi (Lavo)

    Influenced : Sak Yant, Ramakien, Sukhothai, Dvaravati

    Bare-chested man covered in sacred tattoos, amulets round his neck, shouting with arm raised before a crowd. Sak yant: the history of a sacred Thai tattoo, between protective magic and ancestral art Understand · 13 min read Gilded bas-relief of a crowned king with outstretched arm, surrounded by courtiers, villagers and sailing junks. Sukhothai, ‘the dawn of happiness’: kings, rivals and the birth of a Tai kingdom Understand · 13 min read Pink sandstone Khmer sanctuary facade with a low gallery, central doorway and carved tower behind. Temples, roads and Angkorian power: the Khmer imprint on the lands of the future Siam Understand · 13 min read Theatre stage featuring a giant crowned demon head with open hands and a lit mouth, before a blue mountain backdrop. From the Ramayana to the Ramakien: how the Indian epic became Siamese Understand · 11 min read Carved squatting figure with raised arms, tall headdress and large ear ornaments, supporting a cornice above. Dvaravati, the ‘First Mon Kingdom’ of the Central Plain: Rulers, Figures and Neighbours (6th–11th Century) Understand · 13 min read
  4. 1238– 1438

    Sukhothai

    Period of : Sukhothai, Ram Khamhaeng, Li Thai (Maha Thammaracha I), Si Inthrathit, Wat Si Chum, Si Satchanalai, Kamphaeng Phet, Walking Buddha, Traiphum Phra Ruang

    Influenced by : Khmer Empire

    Falls under the theme : History, Kingdoms & the Making of Siam

    Associated with : Ayutthaya, Mueang

    Large white stucco seated Buddha seen from below between tall brick walls open to the sky, hand in the foreground. At the Wellspring of Visual Storytelling: The Art of Sukhothai and Its Legacy Understand · 12 min read Khmer sandstone temple with five towers in a quincunx, fronted by sugar palms and reflected in a lily pond. Mount Meru in the City: How Siam's Temples and Royal Pyres Reproduce the Hindu-Buddhist Universe In depth · 13 min read Close-up of a gold object set with a large polished violet stone, an emerald and small gems, against black. Ayutthaya: Four Centuries of a Cosmopolitan Capital (1350–1767) Understand · 12 min read The Thai word « ไทย » (Thai) in large blue letters made from a mosaic of coloured triangles. 'Thainess': the history of a national identity constructed, imposed and contested Understand · 14 min read Old, flaking mural showing four figures in northern dress, including an embracing couple whispering to each other. Lanna, Kingdom of the North: from Mangrai to Dara Rasmi, Chiang Mai between Ayutthaya, Burma and Bangkok Understand · 13 min read Gilded bas-relief of a crowned king with outstretched arm, surrounded by courtiers, villagers and sailing junks. Sukhothai, ‘the dawn of happiness’: kings, rivals and the birth of a Tai kingdom Understand · 13 min read
  5. 1292– 1775

    Lanna

    Period of : Mangrai, Tilokaraj

    Has as capital : Chiang Mai

    Associated with : Yi Peng, Kawila

    Bronze equestrian statue of king Taksin raising a sword, a flower garland around the horse's neck, on a pale stone plinth. Thonburi and King Taksin: raising Siam again in fifteen years (1767–1782) Understand · 13 min read Old, flaking mural showing four figures in northern dress, including an embracing couple whispering to each other. Lanna, Kingdom of the North: from Mangrai to Dara Rasmi, Chiang Mai between Ayutthaya, Burma and Bangkok Understand · 13 min read A woman in a straw hat fires a colourful plastic water pistol, surrounded by flying water droplets. Thailand's Festivals and Celebrations: The Year's Calendar, Month by Month Discover · 26 min read
  6. 1351– 1767

    Ayutthaya

    Period of : Lopburi (Lavo), Constantine Phaulkon, Fall of Ayutthaya (1767), Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Battle of Nong Sarai (1593), Wat Bang Phra, Ayutthaya, U Thong (Ramathibodi I), Naresuan, Narai

    Influenced : Wat Phra Kaew, Rattanakosin

    Associated with : Sukhothai, Phongsawadan

    A person with short blond hair, seen from behind, rests a hand on the trunk of a mud-covered elephant. Elephants and mahouts in Thailand: a shared history, from warfare to tourist camps Understand · 14 min read Large white stucco seated Buddha seen from below between tall brick walls open to the sky, hand in the foreground. At the Wellspring of Visual Storytelling: The Art of Sukhothai and Its Legacy Understand · 12 min read Khmer sandstone temple with five towers in a quincunx, fronted by sugar palms and reflected in a lily pond. Mount Meru in the City: How Siam's Temples and Royal Pyres Reproduce the Hindu-Buddhist Universe In depth · 13 min read Close-up of a gold object set with a large polished violet stone, an emerald and small gems, against black. Ayutthaya: Four Centuries of a Cosmopolitan Capital (1350–1767) Understand · 12 min read Old, flaking mural showing four figures in northern dress, including an embracing couple whispering to each other. Lanna, Kingdom of the North: from Mangrai to Dara Rasmi, Chiang Mai between Ayutthaya, Burma and Bangkok Understand · 13 min read Church with a red dome and cream bell tower on a riverbank, longtail boat in front, tower blocks behind. Kudi Chin, on the Thonburi bank: the descendants of the Portuguese and the memory of a plural neighbourhood Understand · 13 min read
  7. 1767– 1782

    Thonburi

    Period of : Kudi Chin, Thonburi

    Associated with : Taksin

    Bronze equestrian statue of king Taksin raising a sword, a flower garland around the horse's neck, on a pale stone plinth. Thonburi and King Taksin: raising Siam again in fifteen years (1767–1782) Understand · 13 min read Gilded onion-shaped dome crowning a white arcaded building, rising above rooftops and tangled electric cables. Pahurat, Bangkok's ‘Little India’: a royal road, Punjabi merchants and a quarter still finding itself Understand · 12 min read Old, flaking mural showing four figures in northern dress, including an embracing couple whispering to each other. Lanna, Kingdom of the North: from Mangrai to Dara Rasmi, Chiang Mai between Ayutthaya, Burma and Bangkok Understand · 13 min read Church with a red dome and cream bell tower on a riverbank, longtail boat in front, tower blocks behind. Kudi Chin, on the Thonburi bank: the descendants of the Portuguese and the memory of a plural neighbourhood Understand · 13 min read Bronze statue of a seated king before a cream portico with towers, fronted by steps, a white balustrade and a paved forecourt. Rattanakosin Island, the historic heart of Bangkok: a capital shaped by water, contested by its memory Understand · 12 min read Theatre stage featuring a giant crowned demon head with open hands and a lit mouth, before a blue mountain backdrop. From the Ramayana to the Ramakien: how the Indian epic became Siamese Understand · 11 min read
  8. 1782– present

    Rattanakosin

    Period of : Dusit, Wat Phra Kaew, Rama I, Rattanakosin Island, Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Mongkut (Rama IV), Kawila, Rama III (Nangklao), Wat Arun, Supreme Patriarch (Sangharaja), Talat Noi, Bangkok, Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893, Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Wang Na (Front Palace), Sampheng

    Influenced by : Ayutthaya

    Façade of a European-style orange-red building with white stucco trim, green shutters and railings, beside a street. Europe in Bangkok: Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau, from Rama IV to Rama VII Understand · 11 min read Large white marble neo-Renaissance building topped by a green central dome, fronted by railings and a broad paved square. Dusit, Rama V's ‘European-style’ royal quarter: how a palace garden shifted the centre of Bangkok Understand · 13 min read Old engraving of sailing and steam ships anchored on a river before colonial buildings, with small rowing boats. Rattanakosin: Bangkok and the Chakri Kings Face Their Neighbours, 1782–1932 Understand · 13 min read Large white stucco seated Buddha seen from below between tall brick walls open to the sky, hand in the foreground. At the Wellspring of Visual Storytelling: The Art of Sukhothai and Its Legacy Understand · 12 min read Interior of a Chinese shrine: gilded statue of a deity on an altar, surrounded by large lit red and yellow candles. Talat Noi, the junk quarter: how a Sino-Thai village took shape on the banks of the Chao Phraya Understand · 13 min read Bronze equestrian statue of king Taksin raising a sword, a flower garland around the horse's neck, on a pale stone plinth. Thonburi and King Taksin: raising Siam again in fifteen years (1767–1782) Understand · 13 min read
  9. 1851– 1932

    Modernisation of Siam

    Period of : Tha Rae, Yaowarat (Bangkok Chinatown), Rama VI (Vajiravudh), Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893, Bowring Treaty (1855), Dara Rasmi, Phahurat (Little India, Bangkok), Chulalongkorn (Rama V), Dusit, Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, Ministry of Education (Thailand)

    Dozens of schoolchildren in white and blue uniforms sitting cross-legged on a covered floor, a teacher standing behind them. The Thai education system: principles, organisation and school calendar Understand · 11 min read Façade of a European-style orange-red building with white stucco trim, green shutters and railings, beside a street. Europe in Bangkok: Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau, from Rama IV to Rama VII Understand · 11 min read Large white marble neo-Renaissance building topped by a green central dome, fronted by railings and a broad paved square. Dusit, Rama V's ‘European-style’ royal quarter: how a palace garden shifted the centre of Bangkok Understand · 13 min read Old engraving of sailing and steam ships anchored on a river before colonial buildings, with small rowing boats. Rattanakosin: Bangkok and the Chakri Kings Face Their Neighbours, 1782–1932 Understand · 13 min read Monks in orange robes seated in a row, eyes half-closed, before floral-painted pillars and a mural. The Thai Sangha: the history and organisation of a monastic community Understand · 14 min read Gilded onion-shaped dome crowning a white arcaded building, rising above rooftops and tangled electric cables. Pahurat, Bangkok's ‘Little India’: a royal road, Punjabi merchants and a quarter still finding itself Understand · 12 min read
  10. 1932– present

    Contemporary Thailand

    Period of : Patpong, Xayaburi Dam, Thai Elephant Conservation Center, National Education Act 1999 (B.E. 2542)

    Dozens of schoolchildren in white and blue uniforms sitting cross-legged on a covered floor, a teacher standing behind them. The Thai education system: principles, organisation and school calendar Understand · 11 min read A person with short blond hair, seen from behind, rests a hand on the trunk of a mud-covered elephant. Elephants and mahouts in Thailand: a shared history, from warfare to tourist camps Understand · 14 min read Monks in orange robes seated in a row, eyes half-closed, before floral-painted pillars and a mural. The Thai Sangha: the history and organisation of a monastic community Understand · 14 min read Aerial view of a winding river through dense mangrove forest, with limestone karst towers on the horizon and two small boats. Thailand's mangroves: a forest between land and sea, from collapse to recovery Understand · 14 min read The Thai word « ไทย » (Thai) in large blue letters made from a mosaic of coloured triangles. 'Thainess': the history of a national identity constructed, imposed and contested Understand · 14 min read Costumed participants wearing large painted masks with long noses and tall headdresses, in multicoloured fringed clothing, on a street. Behind the Masks of Phi Ta Khon: What Dan Sai Really Celebrates Understand · 13 min read