I have been to Krabi in southern Thailand many times in the past. On a recent visit in Feb 2008 I was surprised to see statues of apes at a main intersection, each ape holding the traffic lights. I assumed this was a gimmick. It was only a few days later that I was walking on the other side of the road when I found an explanation about these statues.
They are to commemorate the archaeological findings made in the Krabi district. These include 43,000 year old human skeletons unearthed from under a cliff at the Tab-prik School in Krabi. Also 27,000 year old human skeletons found at Mor Keaw Cave, Ban Na-Ching in Krabi district. The oldest finds are fossils dated at 37 million years, found in a lignite mine. They are jaw bones of an ancient primate, later named Siamopithecus eocaenus, (the signboard says Siam Moipithecus erectus, but this is wrong) which could be an ancestor of humans.
The crossroads in Krabi are now known as Manus Borarn Square. There is even a diamond shaped road sign on Soi 10, Maharat Road. I'm not sure where the name comes from, Bo-rarn means traditional (or ancient in Sanskrit), so maybe it's traditional man !
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There is a giant spider on the right side too... imaginative, artistic, and well applied. This is really an eye catcher and cost much less than twin towers.
ReplyDeleteAn it is of lasting archaeological importance......... whereas Twin Towers didn't hold its record for very long!!
ReplyDeleteI still could not see the significance of Ape to Krabi town! Any particular reason to highlight the icon. I remember that townfolks though not many are fluent with English but I have seen imaginative phrases like "Lively Town Lovely People" or something like that, being hung up in front of the town hall.
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote in my introduction, the ape statues relate to the ancient primate fossils of Siamopithecus eocaenus that were found in Krabi district . So they are indirectly relating to important archaeological findings.
ReplyDelete"They are to commemorate the archaeological findings made in the Krabi district." So, it is only a statute for commemorative purpose. Is there an archaeological museum for such an important find ?
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed that one. Understood. As they too are proud of the Fossil Beach near to Ao Nang, which in actual fact is a wonder.
ReplyDeleteThailand has a very rich archaeological past and although the findings from Krabi district have no special museum , the results are well documented in scientific journals.
ReplyDeleteDocumented by who and are they reliable and internationally reckonised (Re: Krabi ) ? Sorry to trouble you. If it is too much work than forget it.
ReplyDeleteYes documented reliably, in international journals such as Journal of Human Evolution (Elsevier) ; Journal of Institut ties Sciences de l'Evolution (Montpellier, FRANCE) ; and the lignite mine is well mentioned in Thai geology & mining journals.
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