stone cutting source

Terrain

General Condition

The area of ​​the ancient stone cutting site, Sikhio District, is characterized by a small sandstone hill along the Friendship Road. The hill is about 10 meters high from Mittraphap Road (it is a sandstone in the Phu Phan rock category. Korat Hin Group) about 1.8 kilometers south of Lam Takong from an aerial photograph. On the east side of the hill there is an ancient waterway that connects to Lam Ta Khong.

The conditions on the hills are mostly white-gray sandstone with some outcrop as the ground. There are sporadic perennials and weeds. The area inside is fenced with barbed wire. Sandstone area on the northern hill (By the side of Friendship Road) appeared traces of extracting sandstone into lumps.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Lamtakong

Geological conditions

It is a sandstone hill in the Phu Phan rock category. Korat Stone Group

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

The stone source in Sikhio District was one of the most important raw material sources of sandstone for humans in the past for the construction of buildings or structures. especially the castles in Khmer culture in Sikhio District and Sung Noen District at present, such as Prasat Muang Khaek, Prasat Hua Sa, Prasat Non Ku, etc., around the 15th-18th Buddhist century.

The traces of stone extraction that appeared on the hill were traces of extraction of sandstone. Most are rectangular cubes. There are some cubes that are square or cube. Some of them appear as continuous longitudinal extraction grooves. (The sandstone has not been extracted) while some sandstone has been extracted. On the side surface of the extracted sandstone, there were traces of the extraction tool. Most scholars agree that it is probably a chisel-type steel tool.

Furrows formed by the extraction of sandstone at this site. It is in the northeast-south direction and northwest-southeast direction. This corresponds to the natural rupture of sandstone in this area that geologists study found that there are 2 directions of rupture, namely northeast - southwest as the main line. and the north-south line is a secondary line By placing the cut into a rectangular shape similar to the shape of a tortoiseshell. (Department of Mineral Resources 2014)

on the sandstone floor on the hill In addition to showing traces of stone cutting of ancient humans There are also traces of natural phenomena that are geologically important, namely, a pot hole, a deep hole in the bedrock. The internal shape resembles the shape of a sugar pot. by the mouth of the hole wide and slowly examining into the bottom of the hole smooth wall surface This Aquarius is formed by the action of water and gravel. The tide had carried the pebbles into a vortex within the hole for hundreds of thousands of years until the hole grew wider. which geologists call this hole "Kumbhalak" because it looks like a pot. (Department of Mineral Resources 2014)