(269–271 CE), discovered in the U Thong archaeological area and now housed in the
U Thong National Museum. (founder of Ayutthaya) in Amphoe U Thong, Suphan Buri Province.
Higham states, "U-Thong was occupied for many centuries prior to the development of the
Dvaravati state. Radiocarbon determinations from the sites of U-Thong and Chansen suggest that the transition into complex state societies in the
Chao Phraya basin took place between about 300–600 AD." A copper inscription from the mid-7th century states, "Sri Harshavarman, grandson of Ishanavarman, having expanded his sphere of glory, obtained
the lion throne through regular succession," and mentions gifts to a
linga. The site includes a moat, 1,690 by 840 m, and the Pra Paton
caitya. U Thong district was created with the name
Chorakhe Sam Phan in 1905. In 1939 the district was renamed U Thong. In 1944, the government moved the centre of the district from Ban Chorakhe Sam Phan to the area of the ancient city. ==Geography==