| Abstract: |
Four puzzling gongs were excavated in Thailand in the area of the former capital of Sukhothai (established in 1238). All four round flat bowls with narrow retracted rims have nearly the same diameter of about 10 cm, but differ in thickness, weight and pitch. Each one shows four small loops in the cardinal directions. No references of this type of musical instruments have been found so far in any book on gongs from Southeast Asia. It is closest to the Han Chinese yun luo (yun = cloud
luo = generic term for gongs), a set of 3-10 small bronze gongs in a portable frame. Even though there is not much research on the Chinese yun luo, it is known from depictions since the 14th century and there is evidence that it was played in Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian rituals, as well as in court ceremonies. The excavated pieces will be compared to related instruments in Chinese court music with the question in mind as to whether the gong chime could have been played in Sukhothai court rituals, as they were found in the old capital.
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