| Abstract: |
The aim of this study is to investigate the East-West Corridor, which is defined as the regional land-based communication network for economical, religious, and political relationship between ancient cities in medieval Southeast Asia based on the mappings of archaeological site inventories and the field surveys. The expression 'East-West Corridor' was firstly proposed by Ishii Yoneo (Ishii 2006, 2008, 2009). The author mapped and layered newly obtained archaeological site inventories which are composed of Myanmar (around 30 sites), Thailand (around 1870 sites), and the Khmer-style sites (around 1720 sites) from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam using GIS (Geographical Information System). Through mapping inventories for the Angkor, Sukhothai, and Ayutthaya periods, the author indicates that an aspect of routes discussed by Ishii differs in each dynasty from his assumption with new findings of routes between ancient cities with focusing on from Myanmar to Thailand. Through the mapping, the author indicates that two routes of Marutaban, Mae Sot, Tak - Sukhothai and Myeik (Mergui), Tenasserim - Phechaburi on map data above coincided with the hypothesis of Ishii's theory. Also this paper describes an individual network for the Angkor, Sukhothai, and Ayutthaya periods derived from the mapping and together with analysing geological aspect which investigated by geologists Takaya (1982) and Somboon (1990). With comparing both routes, the East-West Corridor to the west of the Chao Phraya river system appears to have a very strong relationship in terms of regional land-based communication network even in Angkor period. The reason for its conclusion is that the extent of Khmer rule and control appears to be related to the ease of access via roads, rivers, and other features. Also, the network in Angkor period linked to Cham cities in Vietnam via Angkor Wat. In the Sukhothai period, the network with the river channel which might be 'The North-South Corridor' can be seen together with discussion by the Ishii theory. In the Ayutthaya period, a new hypothesis emerged that (1) the route from Martaban to Kanchanaburi via Three Pagoda Pass first appeared. Then (2) communities were newly built in the area of the 'paleo-gulf of Ayutthaya', geologically called the 'new delta' in the Chao Phraya Basin and played important role for trading and exchanging commodities between the coast line of Thai gulf and the hinterland of Ayutthaya in Ayutthaya dynasty.
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