countries share is the aggressive promotion of their claims to civilisational superiority or antiquity, claims that almost always appear disproportionate to their political influence’ and ‘through their august antiquity and cultural dignity, [they wanted] to earn the grudging respect of foreign powers’. As a claim for civilisational superiority, it is therefore not a coincidence for Sukhothai to be both the origin of Siam and the ideal state of utmost Thainess.