n-style, Chaiya, Surat Thani The
Malay Peninsula has been settled since prehistoric times. Archeological remains were found in several caves, some used for dwellings, others as burial sites. The oldest remains were found in
Lang Rongrien Cave, dating 38,000 to 27,000 years before present, and in the contemporary Moh Khiew cave. In the
first millennium, Chinese chronicles mention several coastal cities or city-states. No exact geographical locations were recorded and so the identification of these cities with later settlements is difficult. The most important of those states were
Langkasuka, usually considered a precursor of the
Patani Kingdom;
Tambralinga, probably the precursor of the
Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom, or
P'an-p'an in Phunphin district, Surat Thani, probably located at the
Bandon Bay Tapi River. The cities were highly influenced by
Indian culture, and have adopted
Brahman or
Buddhist religion. When
Srivijaya in
Chaiya extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya. The city
Chaiya in
Surat Thani Province contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is disputed. After Srivijaya lost its influence, Nakhon Si Thammarat became the dominant kingdom of the area. During the rule of King
Ramkhamhaeng the Great of
Sukhothai, Thai influence first reached Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to the Ramkhamhaeng inscription, Nakhon Si Thammarat was a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of later periods, Nakhon became a tributary of
Ayutthaya. The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of
Pattani and
Kedah, while the northernmost part of the peninsula was under the control of Bangkok. During the
Thesaphiban reforms at the end of the 19th century, both Nakhon Si Thammarat and Pattani were incorporated into the central state. The area was subdivided into 5
monthon, which were installed to control the city states (
mueang). Minor
mueang were merged into larger ones, thus forming the present 14 provinces. With the
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 the boundary to Malaysia was fixed. Kedah came under British control, while Pattani stayed with Siam. ==Languages==