Latest news with #FineArtsDepartment
Hans India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
‘Spectrum' displays innovative artworks
Visakhapatnam: Students should outshine with their inherent talent, underlined Andhra University Arts College Principal A Narsimha Rao. After inaugurating an annual art show 'Spectrum' put up by the BFA and MFA students at the Fine Arts Department of Andhra University here on Monday, the Principal encouraged the students to focus on innovative artworks. The art exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of Professor V Ramesh (Retd), art historian M Adinarayana and art connoisseur Mayank Kumari Deo, department Professor Sishtla Srinivas, among others. After going through the exhibits displayed by the students at the campus, the invitees and guests lauded their artistic skills. From sculptures to paintings, visitors find the thematic concepts interesting at the venue. The art show will continue at the Fine Arts Department beside Sivaji Park till June 1 from 10 am to 6 pm.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Crew Was Digging Under a Buddha Statue—and Found a 1,300-Year-Old Gold Treasure
Archaeologists in Thailand uncovered 33 ancient gold, silver, and bronze treasures beneath a 1,300-year-old reclining Buddha statue. They found rare repoussé metal sheets depicting Buddha and intricate artistry, showcasing Dvaravati-era craftsmanship and ritual offerings. The Phimai National Museum is preserving these historic finds, including ornate jewelry and ritual artifacts, for further study and conservation. Digging a drainage system is rarely an exciting process. But 'rarely' doesn't mean 'never,' as was recently proven in Thailand when crews discovered a trove of gold treasures under the a famous reclining Buddha statue, located inside the Wat Thammachak Sema Ram temple complex. While digging over four feet below the sandstone statue, crews ran into a ceramic container. Inside that container were 33 ancient ornaments of gold, silver, and bronze, according to a translated statement from Thailand's Fine Arts Department. The items included gold rings, silver earrings, and a pair of special bronze hoop earrings in the same style as others from the Dvaravati period (about 1,300 years ago) that have been found across the country. With one box of treasure found, crews were quick to search for more while continuing their conservation work at the Phra Non archaeological site. Digging around what is considered the country's longest (the sculpture is 43 feet long) and oldest (created around 657 A.D.) reclining Buddha statue, they made three additional finds, which included hammered metal sheets covered in intricate artistry that had been created with a technique known as repoussé. One such discovery—a rectangular sheet of gold about three inches by five inches in size—depicts a seated Buddha in the pose of a teacher. The figure is shown with spiral curls, a large halo, elongated earlobes, and a robe over one of his shoulders. A small hole in the top right corner of the artwork means that it was likely hung with string, and could have either been worn or used as decoration, said Phanombutr Chantrachot, the director-general of the Fine Arts Department. Another repoussé sheet (this one made of a lead-tin alloy) also featured a representation of a Buddha, this time standing in an arched frame. This piece, which is about 4.5 inches by 6 inches, also depicts two attendants next to the Buddha figure. The left attendant was no longer discernible because of damage, but the attendant on the right might be the Thai expression of the Hindu god Brahma. The third piece is comprised of stacked metal sheets crammed inside packed clay, with cement between the metal. Due to damage, Chantrachot said, it was unclear exactly how many layers of metal were included. But while it was difficult to determine what was depicted on the metal, Chantrachot said that the location engraved behind the Buddha's reclining head has lead experts to believe that the artwork was some sort of ritual offering purposely placed in the spot in which it was found. The Phimai National Museum is now conserving and cataloging the golden finds. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Discover 30,000-Year-Old Remains of Child in Popular National Park
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a small child in a popular national park, according to a government report. The chilling discovery was made in the Tham Din Cave within Thailand's Tham Pha Tup Forest Park. The cave first came onto scientists' radar in 2020, when archaeologists identified several ancient paintings on the chamber's walls. Some of these paintings depicted scenes of humans hunting animals such as deer with advanced weapons, indicating the region was one of the earliest occupied by human beings. By 2022, the search had yielded an abundance of artifacts such as pottery, stone tools, and bones. An analysis determined that they were somewhere between 10,000 and 29,000 years old, confirming the theory that the cave was inhabited by prehistoric humans for thousands of years. As the investigation moved to the cave floor, scientists discovered a well-preserved skeleton which appeared to have been buried with ritualistic elements, which indicated a sophisticated cultural practice. After further analysis from U.S.-based labs, which found the skeleton to be fairly well preserved, scientists determined the bones likely belonged to a child aged between six and eight. The body was found face up, lying amongst stones with red pigment covering its face. The presence of charcoal and ash around the body indicates to researchers that the child's remains may have been smoked, or lightly charred, before the burial."It is believed that the way the body was treated involved rituals, including a theory that this was one way to keep it from being eaten by wild animals,' excavation leader Kannika Premaj explained to the Bangkok Post. 'We have learnt from the position and direction in which the body was placed that it was a ritual, meaning the community living here had their own culture and way of living.' The remains, named Pangpod after a popular Taiwanese children's TV character, illuminate a previously untold segment of history. The child's fossil may provide insight as to how prehistoric humans in the Paleolithic era adapted to changes in their environment. "The Din Cave site offers a unique window into the past, documenting the evolution of human societies over thousands of years," a representative for Thailand's Fine Arts Department told Thai PBS World.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
29,000-year-old remains of child unearthed in Thailand cave with 'symbols of blood and power'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The 29,000-year-old bones of a child discovered in Thailand are the oldest human remains ever found in the country, archaeologists have announced. The child — nicknamed "Pangpond," after a Thai cartoon character — was likely living with their family of hunter-gatherers near the coast before their untimely death. Both the skeleton and the method of burial are revealing groundbreaking information about Stone Age Thailand. The discovery was announced last month at a news conference held by the Thai government's Fine Arts Department and Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The skeleton, along with numerous cave paintings, was found at the Tham Din (Earthen Cave) archaeological site in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. In 2020, archaeologists began studying paintings made in red ocher on the walls and ceiling of three chambers at Tham Din, according to the Prachuap Post. Most of the paintings represented people, and some were depicted using bows and arrows to hunt animals such as deer and monkeys. The stones and red ocher may be symbols of blood and power, lead archaeologist Kannika Premjai told the Bangkok Post. When excavations began in 2022, archaeologists noticed animal bones, shells, seeds and stones that suggested that prehistoric humans used the cave. Radiocarbon dating of the material suggested they lived there from about 29,000 to 11,000 years ago, although it is unclear precisely when the cave paintings were made. Beneath those artifacts, archaeologists recently discovered the burial of a modern human (Homo sapiens) child, around 6 to 8 years old, who was stretched out on their back, with their arms and legs close to their body. Thai Fine Arts Department archaeologists said that this specific positioning of the body likely indicates the corpse was wrapped or tied before burial, as reported by Thai PBS World. Related: New, big-headed archaic humans discovered: Who is Homo juluensis? The presence of ash and charcoal in the grave suggests that, once the body was placed in the prepared grave, a fire was built around it. The idea was to smoke the body in order to drive away wild animals and eliminate the odor of decomposition, the Prachuap Post reported. The burial's location below the already-dated organic remains suggests the child lived during the late Pleistocene epoch, more than 29,000 years ago, Kannika told the Bangkok Post. "This is a groundbreaking discovery that will reshape our understanding of early human presence in Southeast Asia," Phnombootra Chandrajoti, director general of the Fine Arts Department, said in a statement, according to Thai PBS World. "The careful burial and the associated artifacts provide invaluable insights into the rituals and daily lives of these ancient inhabitants." RELATED STORIES —Some of the 1st ice age humans who ventured into Americas came from China, DNA study suggests —Burial of infant 'Neve' could be oldest of its kind in Europe —Mysterious East Asians vanished during the ice age. This group replaced them. In addition to being the oldest human burial discovered to date in Thailand, Pangpond sheds light on human adaptation and survival in a region that is now largely submerged. Sea levels in the late Pleistocene were significantly lower than they are today, making bare a landmass called Sundaland that connected swaths of Southeast Asia during the last ice age, approximately 110,000 to 12,000 years ago. Evidence shows Tham Din has a long history of human occupation, from the burial of Pangpond in the late Pleistocene to farming communities in the Holocene (11,700 years ago to the present day). The site shows the importance of continued excavation in this region for gaining a better understanding of early humans' dispersal, experts noted at the news conference. The Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation plans to protect the Tham Din archaeological site and eventually open it for tourism and educational purposes, Phnombootra said at the news conference.
