Dong Mueang Aem

16°49′31″N 102°48′34″E / 16.82528°N 102.80944°E / 16.82528; 102.80944

Dong Mueang Aem
ดงเมืองแอม
LocationKhao Suan Kwang, Khon Kaen, Thailand
TypeHuman settlement
Area
  • Dong Mueang Aem:
    4.84 square kilometres (484 ha)
  • Ban Kho Tha Pho:
    1.38 square kilometres (138 ha)
  • Non Mueang Pheng:
    0.6 square kilometres (60 ha)
History
Foundedc. 6th century
Abandonedc. 18th century
PeriodsAncient history
Cultures
Associated withMon people
Site notes
Excavation dates1982
ArchaeologistsFine Arts Department
ConditionMostly destroyed
OwnershipPrivate
ManagementDong Mueang Aem Subdistrict Administrative Organization, no entry fee
Public accessYes

Dong Mueang Aem (Thai: ดงเมืองแอม) was a group of ancient settlements located in Dong Mueang Aem subdistrict, Khao Suan Kwang, Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand. It was inhabited from the 6th – 18th centuries from the Dvaravati to the late Ayutthaya periods,:265 and was once being sacked by Mahendravarman of Chenla during his expansion campaign to the Chi-Mun Valley. After being abandoned for a century, it was repopulated by Lao people in 1859.

Dong Mueang Aem was a supra-regional center of the Dvaravati civilization, together with Si Thep, Mueang Fa Daet Song Yang, and others, but little known about its political structure.:152 It could have previously been the center of an ancient kingdom.:151–52 According to the Wat Sri Mueang Aem Inscription (K. 1120) discovered in the inner city, Dong Mueang Aem potentially could be linked to the formation of Chenla.:78–79