871 
2.2 Inventory preparation 
Inventory is made in a form of aerial photograph and 
map of each ancient site (figure 2,3), with 
information of refered map sheet and aerial photo 
graph. Geogrphical information of each ancient site 
such as; geographical co-ordinate, UTM co-ordinate, 
and administrative names (Tumbol, Amphoe, Changwat) 
are also indicated. These informations are stored 
with an aid of computer (Compatable PC-16) using 
software available in market, basing on the GIS and 
Thai-English languages. 
2.3 Uses of inventory 
Inventory is made available especially for research 
and conservation. Uses of an inventory benefits 
particulary in managing of cultural resources, some 
of examples are mentioned here-in: 
2.3.1 Site investigation: There are numbers of 
site discovered,so that ground survey is limited 
to some ancient sites. Site investigation is 
planned to cover all ancient settlements. Inventory 
is arranged and handed to teacher colleges, 
according to The total of 26 
local teacher colleges distributing all over 
Thailand. Teacher college again organize local school 
teacher, working in an area situated within the 
vicinity of ancient site, to visit and record 
general information such as: surface finding 
artifacts, present condition of earthwork, landuse 
and etc. Accordingly, not only all ancient sites 
can be investigated at the same time, but they are 
made known to the local which leads ultimately to 
conservation of ancient site. 
2.3.2 Locating a zone for conservation and 
development: Recent development, such as; 
construction of transportation routes, irrigation 
and water reservoir,and expansion of agricultural 
land and settlemental area, has caused ruin of 
ancient settlements. The National Environmental 
Board has used the inventory in locating zone for 
conservation and managing of cultural environment. 
2.3.3 Management of historical and archaeological 
data: Thailand have limited sources of historical 
data, and archaeological informations have been 
loosely recorded and correlated. Not only aerial 
photographs that serve a new data, but also the 
inventory prepared in GIS serves as a mean in 
managing and correlating of all data. Lists of 
historical place-names.temporal grouping of ancient 
settlements, and the others that can be analysed 
basing on historical geographic method, are being 
organized by using the inventory (Li-Sheng & 
Supajanya, 1985) 
Figure 4. Classification of moat patterns in Thailand 
exposed by aerial photograph (after Supajanya, T. 
1984). 
functional uses of moat. Spatial distributions of 
each type are found also limited to a paticular 
area (Supajanya, 1986). A settlement having moat 
pattern surrounding at the foot of hill is found 
only in the northeastern region, namely E-san, 
while those surrounding at the edge of hill are 
limited only to the northern region, namely Lanna 
Thai. 
3 MOAT PATTERNS 
The total of 1 ,300 sites of ancient settlements 
are exposed by aerial photographs and 900 sites are 
surrounded by moats. Moat pattern elements such 
as: shape, size and orientation, are studied basing 
on aerial photograph of the scale 1:15,000. 
Figure 4 demonstrates moat patterns which are 
classified according to shape and topographical 
relationship (Supajanya, 1985). First group, moat 
patterns have their shape not being controlled by 
topography, and are subdivided according to 
geometrical characteristics. Attempt on an 
evolutional study of moat pattern was suggested 
(Supajanya & Vanasin, 1979). Second group, moat 
patterns have their form being controlled by 
topography. Detailed study basing on photo 
interpretation, has made possible to sub-divide 
this group, and each of them indicate its own 
4 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES OF ANCIENT SETTLEMENT 
Information interpreted from photo-interpretation 
of ancient site is a prime basic data for 
environtal study. Aerial photograph and LANDSAT 
imageries were used to correlate ancient settlements 
exposed in coastal area along shoreline of 
approximately 2,200 kilometer with former 
shorelines of different elevation. All ancient 
settlements dated more than thousand years ago are 
situated above former shoreline at the elevation of 
approximately 3.5-4 meter (Supajanya, 1983). Figure 5 
demonstrates the correlation of ancient site and 
former shoreline in the area of the Lower Chao Phraya 
Plain, (after Vanasin and Supajanya, 1980). An aerial 
photograph were used to study the remainded ramparts 
aligning along a distance of 123 kilometers, and 
they have been believed to be constructed as a road.