BANGKOK — The clay vessel and associated tools that were recently returned by the U.S. government to the Thai government feature the characteristic red-on-buff color of pottery from Ban Chiang Archaeological Site, a 3,500-year-old prehistoric human habitation and burial site, which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ban Chiang Archaeological Site was the center of a remarkable phenomenon of human cultural, social, and technological evolution which occurred independently in this area of Southeast Asia.
This artifact had been given by the Thai government to an American soldier stationed at the Udorn Air Force Base in Udon Thani, Thailand, in the early 1970s.
The U.S. Embassy in Thailand, together with UNESCO Bangkok Office and the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, organized a ceremony to return Ban Chiang archaeological artifacts, consisting of pottery and clay tools, to Thailand. Minister of Culture Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol received them at the Bangkok National Museum on November 14, 2024.
The date was chosen to coincide with the International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property, which reminds the world that theft, looting and illicit trafficking of cultural property takes place in every country, robbing people of their culture, identity and history.
People, governments, the art-market and institutions can do their part to fight this by raising awareness, being informed and ethical when buying and selling art and cultural objects, enacting and respecting laws that protect cultural heritage.
Ms. Sudawan expressed gratitude to the U.S. Embassy in Thailand and UNESCO Bangkok Office, as well as all agencies involved in this Ban Chiang artifacts repatriation process.
“The return of these Ban Chiang artifacts to the Fine Arts Department not only demonstrates the importance given to the artifacts’ origins but also strengthens cultural relations and cooperation between Thailand and the United States,” she said.
Robert Frank Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand stated that the four individual artefacts from Ban Chiang site and other sites in central Thailand comprise a fired clay vessel, a bracelet, and two cylindrical rollers of yet-undetermined use.
Their provenance dates back to around the late 1960s, when they were presented to an American soldier as a gift from the Thai Government and kept at the U.S. Embassy. No doubt this was motivated in part by the fact that Stephen Young’s father was Kenneth Todd Young, Jr., who had been United States Ambassador to Thailand from 1961–63. Ever since, the items have remained in our safekeeping at the Embassy in a carefully maintained environment.
“However, now is the right time to return these precious items back to their rightful home. Particularly as the United States Government has made significant steps in recent years to proactively return cultural objects around the world back to their rightful owners,” said the ambassador.
He also stated that the U.S. Embassy Bangkok will continue to actively support the repatriation of major cultural artifacts that symbolize Thailand’s rich heritage. Earlier in May this year, we returned the extraordinary “Golden Boy” — or Standing Shiva — and “Kneeling Female” statues from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They are now safely back home, in this very Museum.
