{"id":36117,"date":"2026-09-02T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=36117"},"modified":"2026-09-01T21:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T01:47:15","slug":"a-2000-year-old-gold-ring-found-beside-human-remains-in-thailand-carries-an-inscription-that-may-reveal-an-ancient-trade-route","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-2000-year-old-gold-ring-found-beside-human-remains-in-thailand-carries-an-inscription-that-may-reveal-an-ancient-trade-route\/36117\/","title":{"rendered":"A 2,000-year-old gold ring found beside human remains in Thailand carries an inscription that may reveal an ancient trade route"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disclaimer to the readers: this news is not related to J.R.R. Tolkien&#8217;s work. Archaeologists that were working in a western Thailand digsite uncovered a pair of golden rings that could date back to about 2,000 years! The rings were just beside human remains in what used to be an Iron Age burial ground. One of them is a simple plain ring, while the other bears an inscription of a Brahmi dialect that was used back in ancient India (now Bharat). The finding may point towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-byzantine-ship-that-had-been-sunk-at-the-bottom-of-the-adriatic-sea-for-more-than-1300-years-was-discovered-and-after-recovering-its-600-grams-of-gold-archaeologists-realized-that-it-was-likely-n\/35582\/\">long-distance cultural and commercial ties<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both rings were recovered on July 2 of 2026, at the Don Yai Thong archaeological site in the province of Phetchaburi which is located 80 miles to the southwest of Bangkok. That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/archaeologists-recovered-a-piece-of-ancient-fabric-from-gran-carro-an-underwater-settlement-in-italy-among-the-remains-of-a-domestic-loom-submerged-for-thousands-of-years\/35215\/\">Iron Age<\/a> digsite dates back to the late prehistoric years, around 1,500 to 2,500 years ago, a period that iron, bronze and gold bloomed in importance and were used in tools and pottery. As they say, size isn\u2019t everything: the rings are small, but yet they may help researchers to trace possible networks of ports and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-global-history\/article\/indian-merchants-abroad-integrating-the-indian-ocean-world-during-the-early-first-millennium-ce\/07C260E3C025C0203EA0E25A25242E69\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traders<\/a> that connected southeast and south Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2,000-Year-Old Indian Gold Ring With Brahmi Script Found In Thailand During Excavation\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O_b3QfBNUm0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">YouTube: @Indi<em>aTodayGlobal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Message on the ring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A ring is too small for too much text, but even a simple word can carry a huge meaning. The experts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SilpakornUniversityThailand\/posts\/1505659754692364\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silpakorn University<\/a> and government archaeologists initially read the single inscribed word as \u201cpusarakhitasa\u201d. Officials believe it may mean \u201cthe one protected by Pushya\u201d, which is a sign of good fortune in Indian or Vedic astrology. Another simpler preliminary analysis says it could have been the name of the owner of the ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a00da4e5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-46613eed\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a8390598 post-36189 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-energy resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-24a51617\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/arizona-covered-a-desert-canal-with-2556-solar-panels-and-the-first-u-s-pilot-is-testing-whether-expensive-shade-can-save-water\/36189\/\">Arizona covered a desert canal with 2,556 solar panels, and the first U.S. pilot is testing whether expensive shade can save water<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicode.org\/versions\/Unicode17.0.0\/core-spec\/chapter-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brahmi<\/a> dialect emerged in ancient South Asia and is now the ancestor of a handful of other writing systems that exist to this day across the whole region. The language was more commonly used at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-carved-monument-tied-to-assyrian-king-ashurbanipal-has-been-recovered-at-bab-shamash-with-royal-images-and-cuneiform-writing-preserved-on-the-stone-stele\/35217\/\">royal inscriptions<\/a> under Emperor Ashoka\u2019s reign that took place in the third century B.C. It was also usually carved into strategically located rocks and pillars so people from all over could read official messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand.jpg\" alt=\"Archaeologist holding the inscribed gold ring discovered at the Don Yai Thong burial site in Thailand.\" class=\"wp-image-36185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/inscribed-gold-ring-don-yai-thong-thailand-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The small gold ring bears a Brahmi inscription preliminarily read as &#8220;pusarakhitasa,&#8221; offering a rare clue to connections between ancient Thailand and South Asia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs of a high-status burial<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not the first important find that comes from the same place, which includes the rings into a wider pattern of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-13-meter-dolmen-tomb-in-southern-spain-preserves-ivory-amber-shells-and-flint-from-5000-years-ago-offering-context-for-burial-customs-and-long-distance-trade-networks-rather-than-a-treasure-cac\/35817\/\">ceremonial burials<\/a>. Other valuable objects have been previously found close to the same set of human remains, but the rings size made it so that they were harder to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The digsite was only found this year by local residents who, while working on a rice field, found an ancient bronze drum and alerted local authorities. Since the excavations began in February 2026 the archaeologists have uncovered eight skeletons, pottery, bronze and iron items and of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-volunteer-finds-a-tiny-1600-year-old-gold-bead-in-jerusalems-ancient-city-of-david-and-that-speck-of-metal-revives-a-daily-life-moment-from-another-era\/32908\/\">gold jewelry<\/a>. By the way the individuals buried facing the northeast and with a bronze object above their heads the scientists can tell they were well respected during their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the jewelry may reveal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which begs the question: what can a few carved letters hold of such importance now that 2,000 years have passed? Officials suggest the owner may have belonged to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Vaishya\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vaishya<\/a> varna, a traditional social class in the class system that due to other findings is known to have already existed back then. That still remain as an hypothesis and not an identification but the individuals of that varna were generally merchants, farmers and traders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a8e4cca5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-f363ba41\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-aa96d70b post-36110 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-energy resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-c35174dc\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/engineers-drove-enormous-steel-foundations-directly-into-bare-atlantic-sand-to-hold-offshore-wind-turbines-upright-and-what-happens-around-those-artificial-structures-afterward-is-changing-the-seabed\/36110\/\">Engineers drove enormous steel foundations directly into bare Atlantic sand to hold offshore wind turbines upright, and what happens around those artificial structures afterward is changing the seabed in ways nobody designed them for<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, due to Brahmi\u2019s importance during ancient times, its inscription on gold jewelry in present day Thailand is still a clue that people, their ideas or personal objects might have moved across long distances. Similar inscriptions that were found on seals and other kinds of jewelry have also been reported at sites in Krabi and Chumphon, adding evidence to possible early connections between South Asia and modern communities in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plan now is to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/twenty-two-giant-blocks-from-the-legendary-lighthouse-of-alexandria-have-been-recovered-from-the-seabed-and-this-discovery-is-rewriting-the-history-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-famous-wonders\/31316\/\">3D scans<\/a> of the burial ground so the researchers can gather more data and send it together with charcoal samples to the United States so we can do a more precise scientific dating. The tests will narrow the timeline making the team\u2019s life easier, helping them to compare graves and artifacts and burial findings with more precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-53f84888\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-25b9dd7c\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-462ae348 post-36065 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-environment resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-0fba790e\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/that-paper-receipt-handed-over-after-an-everyday-purchase-may-carry-a-chemical-coating-most-people-never-think-about-and-researchers-are-asking-what-repeated-contact-with-bisphenols-means-when-millio\/36065\/\">That paper receipt handed over after an everyday purchase may carry a chemical coating most people never think about, and researchers are asking what repeated contact with bisphenols means when millions of receipts change hands every day<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rings were transferred to Phra Nakhon Khiri National Museum for future studies and to be conserved with proper technique. For now the inscription is still a mystery, but even then it already offers a rare peak on a detail from the Iron Age. Some letters that may hold more importance than all of the other findings together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Silpakornone\/posts\/1335937078714188\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>official report<\/em><\/a> on the discovery was published by Thailand\u2019s Fine Arts Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 2,000-year-old gold ring found beside human remains in Thailand carries an inscription pointing to ancient ties with South Asia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":36186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36188,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36117\/revisions\/36188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}