Ban chaing is located 50 km east of Udon Thani along route 22 to Sakon Nakhon. It is one of the most important archaeological sites to be uncovered in southeast Asia. The site was discovered in 1966 by Stephen Young, a Harvard sociology graduate. But a major excavation of the site only commenced in the years 1974-75, by the govenment fine art department in conjunction with the university of Pennsylvania. This led to the startling discovry of early bronze metallurgy and clay pottery, especially pots and vases with distinctive burnt-orche swirl designs. Ban Chiang was in December 1992 declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.
There are two wings of a national museum which are across from one another on a common ground. The smaller (older) wing was founded in 1976, in which artifacts discovered in situ have been turned into site museum. The new wing was built by the Kennedy foundation in 1986. It displays collections of Ban Chiang artifacts and pottery.
Ban Chiang pottery, decorated with red painted designs, are famous worldwide and believed by archaeologists to be the world's civilization, with traces of primitive technology in bronze casting.
Open Wednesday - Sunday (8.00-16.00)
Admission fee 25 Baht
How to get there : Take a bus to Sakon Nakhon or Nakhon Phanom (20B) and get off at Ban Pulu, then take a tuk-tuk (20B) to the museum.