The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

REVIEW ARTICLE 233
extremely unlikely, since LP only dates from 1680, long after both
houses had died out, and 1157, both in its textual framework and
chronology, derives from LP and probably did not exist in its present
form before the end of the 18th century.ss
As for its accounts of war
with Cambodia, the first, in the 1350's has been explained, the second,
in the 1380's, is filled with anachronistic details and must have been
borrowed from a story belonging at a later date, and the last, in 1421, is
the story which LP places in 1431. Thus in both traditions there is only
one possibly genuine record of an invasion of Cambodia, for which the
best date so far is LP's 143 I.
What vV seems to be noting is the conflict between Supbanburi
and Ayutthaya for domination of the Menam basin, something which is
adequately documented, but there are no grounds for extending this to a
bi-polarity of policy, which may, of course, have existed, but about which
there is no information in the extant texts.
It is perhaps time now to say a little more about vV's treatment
of the pre-Ayutthaya period, something which does not appear to derive
from the S tradition. As mentioned above, van Vliet listed three
different legends concerning a first founding of Siam about 2000 years
before, and these are of course folklore. Of more interest is his story of
the background of U Thong, a Chinese prince exiled from China. Thus
we have one more version of the U Thong story, and a new etymology
for the name U Thong, as due to his marriage with a Chinese princess
named Pacham Thong (p. 57).
U Thong is also said to have built the cities of Langkasuka, Ligor,
Kui, Phetburi, Chongh [?], Cout-Tbiam [?], Bangkok, Nakhon Cbaisri,
Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Kamphaengphet., and Angkor in addition to
Ayutthaya. As Wyatt notes, most of these claims are fantastic,s9 and
it is therefore strange that he wishes to take seriously the account of U
Thong's sojourn at Angkor, which, in vV, is intimately connected with
the story that he built that city. When a source is full of details known
58) The proof of this is too long to even summarize here. See note 44 above.
59) vV, notes 10, 12, 16, 30,