Research & Article

The  reporting  in  September  2013  of  the  discovery  of  a  shipwreck  of  stitched  construction  in  the  Arab  dhow  tradition  has  generated  great  interest  in  both  Thailand  and  the  wider  archaeological  community.  The  accidental  discovery  was  made  in  a  saturated land site of reclaimed mangrove at Wat Klang Khlong, Phan Thai, in Samut Sakhon  province  (Figure  1).1  The  location  is  sited  between  the  Tha  Chin  and  Chao  Phraya river deltas, some eight kilometres from the present day shoreline of the Gulf of Thailand, a reliable indicator of the rate of coastal expansion since the vessel was lost in the late 1st millennium. The geomorphology of the Gulf has been the subject of recent studies, and the alluvial sedimentary expansion of the coastline, incorporating mangrove regions, is a significant factor in this interpretation.