Stolen Ban Chiang era artefacts |on display in Pathum Thani
An exhibition featuring over 200 Ban Chiang-period artefacts looted in the 1970s and sent to the US, will open to the public tomorrow at the Kanjanapisek National Museum in Pathum Thani.
The exhibition, "Looted art returns to the motherland: Thai artefacts from the United States", will feature utensils, pottery, tools, moulds and ornaments made of earthenware, bronze, stone, glass and animal bones. They came from Ban Chiang Unesco World Heritage Site in Udon Thani province, where they were looted before being sent to the United States. The pieces date back to as early as 1,500 BC.
The Fine Arts Department, through the Office of the National Museum, checked the condition of the artefacts and found that most of the pottery vessels are damaged and cracked. The bronze equipment and tools have not been preserved and dirt stains and rust found on the objects. Many of the tools have broken into several pieces and need to be repaired by preservation scientists.
This is the first public viewing of the pieces since more than 500 artefacts were returned to Thailand on November 19. The artefacts were discovered at the Bowers Museum in Santa Anna, California, in 2009 after a four-year undercover investigation.
The exhibition will be hosted by the Culture Ministry and will run until March 1.