Scholars Call Fine Arts Department to Preserve Ancient Drums Found in Chumphon
Ancient bronze drums discovered by villagers in Chumphon's Phato district are being held at a local temple, with scholars urging the Fine Arts Department to retrieve and restore them before they deteriorate further. The drums, found along a
Scholars are calling on the Fine Arts Department to take charge of ancient bronze drums discovered by residents along Khlong Phato's embankment, amid concerns they could be damaged further. On August 6, 2026, Vara Chanmani, secretary of the Arts and Culture Lovers Club and advisor to the Parliamentary Political Development Commission, disclosed that Phato villagers discovered the drums and reported them to the local temple abbot. The drums are currently stored in a temple warehouse, but the abbot is reluctant to move them, fearing damage, and is waiting for the Fine Arts Department to collect them for restoration.
When researchers arrived, they found oil stains on the drums and carefully moved them to safety. Abbot Prasad Thasana of Ban Homong Temple in Pharak subdistrict, Phato district, Chumphon province, guided the team to the discovery site along Khlong Phato's bank.
Villagers stumbled upon the drums by chance when riverbank erosion exposed them. Inside the bronze vessels, archaeologists found human bones, beads, bowls, and religious ornaments grouped together, suggesting this was a secondary burial ritual dedicating the drums to the deceased—a practice distinct from that in Don Yai Thong, Phetchaburi, where drums are interred alongside remains. Two drums were recovered: one largely complete and one fractured into fragments and carelessly stacked. The abbot and villagers remain anxious about handling the delicate artifacts and have been awaiting the Fine Arts Department's intervention for some time, concerned that further deterioration could occur.
