Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Lan Na
4 Baht Sun Silver Ingot
蘭納王國
4泰銖日輪銀錠
Item number: A1289
Year: AD 1290-1556
Material: Silver
Size: 29.9 x 28.0 x 26.3 mm
Weight: 63.9 g
Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmbH 2023
This is a 4-baht silver ingot minted between AD 1290 and AD 1556 by the Lanna Kingdom, located in present-day northern Thailand. The ingot has an unusual appearance, resembling a twisted and folded ring. The inner side features stamped diamond-shaped patterns, while the outer side is adorned with Lanna script and a sun motif.
The Lanna Kingdom, whose name in the Lanna language means “The Land of a Million Rice Fields,” was referred to in Yuan Dynasty Chinese records as the “Kingdom of Eight Hundred Wives.” Its centre of power was located in Chiang Mai, now a major city in northern Thailand. At its zenith, the kingdom’s territory stretched east to the Mekong River, west to the Salween River, south to Tak Province, and north to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China.
The kingdom was composed of numerous independent or semi-independent political entities known as “müang”. Lanna began to decline in the 16th century, falling under the domination of the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma, becoming its vassal. In AD 1774, Siam’s Thonburi Kingdom expelled the Burmese forces from Lanna, which subsequently became a Siamese vassal state. This status persisted until AD 1892, when the Bangkok-based Chakri Dynasty officially annexed Lanna into Siam.