Archaeological Fieldwork at Sab Champa
Sab Champa is situated at the eastern margin of central Thailand, and is about 15 kilometers east of the Pa Sak River. The site is bounded by a moat, which sits between two high walls with a stream flowing across the southern part in east-west direction. Sab Champa is located on a high limestone terrace at about 180 m above present mean sea level. There are three brick and stone structures located approximately in the middle of the ancient town. Recent immigrants have utilized this area for agricultural purposes, such as the farming of corn, chili, sugar cane, and cassava. Parts of the site were disturbed by these activities for many years until the Royal Forest Department took over the management of the area in 1992, and teak trees were planted over the walled portions of the site.
In October of 2001, I with a number of graduate students from the Department of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, reexamined the site in light of Maleipan (1979)’s and Bhumadhon (1986)’s previous works. We conducted an archaeological investigation as part of our archaeological field school. In 2002, I returned to Sab Champa to continue this research.
A transect method of survey was employed and the preliminary survey provided some hints on the distribution pattern of archaeological materials across the site. Artifactual remains, including potsherds, grinding stones, and clay anvils, were found on the surface. Following the surface survey, auger coring was utilized to survey below the surface in some parts of the site where high concentrations of artifacts were noted. Data gathered from surface survey and auger coring was used as a guideline for selecting locations for limited test excavations. In 2001, three 2X2 m test units (identified as SCP-1, SCP-2 and SCP-3, the initials “SCP” refer to Sab Champa) were excavated (see Lertrit, Jumprom, and Klinpoklab 2001 for more details). SCP-1 was opened at the northern margin of the site, whereas SCP-2 and SCP-3 units were opened on the northeast part of the site. All the units were selected for excavation in order to examine the intrasite land use and settlement pattern, site chronology, and other human activities.