The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. XLIV, Part 1-2, 1956 - Khamkoo

78 Chmles Nelson Spinks
in the 16th ce;ntury. It would appear that this ware was made for
only a comparatively short period, frow about the middle of the
14th centnry nntil u.bont the middle of the 15th century.
Export of Sawankalok Ware
There is little eviclence that Snkhoth ai pottery was eyer
made for export, although a few pieces have been found in Java and
elsewhere. 'fhe first export of wares from Sawankalok was probably
by way of Martaban. 'l'his port was in fact sei>r,ed from the Peguans
by King Rama Khamheng around the beginning of the 14th century
along with the Tenasserim area.
M:artahan was occupied on ancl
off by the Siamese until the beginning of the 15th centnry when it
fell to the Burmese who held it continnously thereafter. During this
period Ma rtaban became an import ant commercial entrepi)t for
traders from India and the Near East.
As an outlet for Siam's
products, however, Mal'taban suffered two disadvantages: the long
and difficult overland route from north-central Siam, and the fact
that the port was only in Siamese possession periodically until it
was permanently lost to the Burmese early in the 15th century.
Consequently, as we shall presently see, the port of Mergni in the
'fenasserim area, which was continually held by the Siamese from
King Rama Khamheng's time, was to assume a greater importance
in the trade of Siam. The trade route from Sawankalok to Martaban
was nnclonbtedly by way of Haheng ( 'l'ak) and Mesot, the Siamese
using elephant trains for transport.·
Unless 'rhai distaste for commercial enterprise is a more
recently acquired chal·acteristic, it was probably the Chinese potters
or Chinese and other fm·eign traders who first promoted the export
of the products of the Suwankalok kilns. Consequently, there may
have been, as noted above, strong commercial reasons for the
appearance of Lnng-ch'i:ian potters in Siam. 'l'hey may well have
been brought there fot· the specific purpose of producing a type of
ware which wonld be saleable in the potte1•y marltets of India and
the Near East,