The history of Thailand is believed to have begun during the Stone Age. Rock paintings dating back 3,000 years have been discovered in the cliffs. Numerous settlements were built throughout Thailand during 2000 BC. In these settlements, people practiced different methods of farming, creating pottery, and weaving cloth together. The ancient Thais or “Thais” used rivers as communication and transportation routes. Several canals soon linked rivers throughout Thailand together to provide more routes. Various different types of boats were the first means of transportation to carry numerous goods across markets and cities. Some of the earliest Thai kingdoms originated in the northern hills. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The many colorful and prosperous tribes that lived in the northern hills eventually created the many kingdoms that arose. The most famous kingdoms of the provinces are Chiang Mai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Chiang Phayao and Chiang Nan. The important kingdoms located in the far northeast were Non Nok Tha and Ban Chiang. The settlement of Ban Chiang began around 3500 BC. After 1000 BC, Ban Chiang was now an incredible complexity of brilliant pottery. By its final period, between 300 BC and 300 AD, it achieved a high level of craftsmanship in bronze and iron tools, bronze and glass jewellery, and painted ceramics. Most of the ancient artifacts were discovered beneath burial sites, where the citizens of Ban Chiang buried their dead along with large quantities of exotic goods. Indian immigrants from the Malay Peninsula began arriving during the 3rd century BC. Around the birth of Christ, they had founded 10 city-states. The most important city-state was Nakhon Si Thammarat. When a group of people from southern China, known as the Mons, migrated to the Menam Chao Basin, the Mons took control of entire civilized areas. The Mons also adopted Indian crafts and religion. The Mon then founded the Dvaravati kingdom in Nakhon Pathom in the 6th century. They then expanded north to Haripunjaya, which is now known as Lamphun, south to the Malay Peninsula, and west to Burma. There in Burma they founded an important state in Pegu. Mons relatives known as Khmer settled in the Lower Mekong area and then expanded eastward. During the 9th century a war took place in the Central Plains and the Khmers defeated the Mons by driving them out of the area. Like the Mon, the Khmer adopted Indian religion and craftsmanship. The king's authority was identified as a sacred power displayed during public ceremonies. Khmer power reached its peak during the 11th century, until King Anawrahta of Burma pushed the Khmer out of his country, Burma. Despite being forced out, the Khmer still controlled most of Thailand through their outposts at Lopburi and Phimai. They also controlled their southern states. But in the early 13th century, a revolt in the West led to the rise of a new group of people that would eventually grow into a large and prosperous empire, overwhelm the Khmer, and become the center of Thailand. The people of Sukhothai. As the power of the Mons and Khmers weakened, other states rose in power and grew. In 1238, the Thais of Sukhothai both refused to pay the customary water tribute to the Khmer lords, drove the Khmers off their land, and formed a new state. Their new leader became Si Inthratit and took the throne. Intrathit was more like a respected leader than a ruler, and more like a father to the people than a king.Inthratit died in 1270. Under the control of their new king, Ramkhamhaeng, the Sukhothai kingdom conquered and controlled Khmer territory as far south as Nakhon Si Thammarat. Ramkhamhaeng also created the first Thai alphabet and presented appreciations to his people for the arts. When his death came in 1300, the rapid fall of the Sukhothai Kingdom began. First, the provinces around Sukhothai severed all their ties with the empire. Then the Mons of Pegu attacked and conquered part of the Malay Peninsula. Eventually a new state arose, and in 1378 they attacked and conquered the entire Sukhothai kingdom. From that moment on, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, founded in 1350, became the most powerful and powerful of all Thai states. Ayutthaya was a state where the king was the lord of all life in existence. A royal language even developed when speaking to the king and his family. Ayutthaya society was founded under King Trailok. Many nobles of different ranks were ranked and given personal titles based on the amount of land they owned. Common people were not allowed to have ordinary relationships with nobles, or even talk to them. Slavery was common and the victims were prisoners of war. Wars and expansion with Ayutthaya's neighbors are what characterized Ayutthaya's first two centuries. Once Ayutthaya moved away from Sukhothai, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, also known as Siam, began to conquer the south. In 1431, King Boromarja II sacked the Khmer city of Angkor Thorn and forced the Khmers to relocate to Phnom Penh. Thereafter the Khmer were never again a threat to the Thais. But despite the great prosperous power of Siam, they were unsuccessful against the northern kingdom of Chiang Mai. Under the power of King Tilokaraja, Chiang Mai defended itself from all attacks from Siam. As Siam continued its failed attempts to reduce Chiang Mai to dust, a new threat emerged on Siam's western flank. The ambitious Burmese kings began their march into the country. Chiang Mai fell to invaders in 1557. Eventually, Ayutthaya surrendered in 1569. Sian then became Burmese territory until 1584, when Prince Naresuan took advantage of the ongoing war in Burma and declared the independence of Siam against the Burma. Naresuan then became king in 1590 and in just three years completely drove the Burmese out of the entire region. Naresuan became the ruler of a vast and expansive region. This includes all of the north and parts of Laos. Over the next century, Siam found itself entangled with the West. Many Dutch merchants set up trade in the south at Pattani in 1601. English traders arrived in Siam in 1602. European rivalry for port privileges and trade reached its peak under Narai the Great. Siam then sent ambassadors to the French king, Louis XIV. Louis XIV in return sent an ambassador to Narai. Among the many adventurers who dared to travel across Asia in the 17th century, the most spectacular was a skilled Greek sailor known as Constantine Phaulkon. Phaulkon was also known as the Falcon of Siam. Phaulkon was an employee of the British East India Company who had immediately attracted the attention of King Narai during trade negotiations. Phaulkon quickly learned the Thai language and the nuances of court behavior, and soon became a special advisor to the king. Siam profited greatly from his leadership and trade with Europeans. Phaulkon's work with Siam displeased the English, so he passed his favors to the French. The court of France asked Phaulkon to persuade King Narai to become Catholic. Phaulkan's efforts had so angered the Buddhist court that once King Narai died, the next king immediatelybeheaded Phaulkon and drove a large percentage of Europeans out of the country. Narai died in 1688, Europeans suddenly found they were out of favor when several rebellions broke out across Siam. The Burmese immediately turned the tables in their favor and took control of the north. A drastically weakened Siam was no match for the Burmese. While the Ayutthaya Kingdom enjoyed its last period of stability under King Boromakot, Burmese soldiers set fire to the capital in April 1767. Officially sacked and reduced to ruins, a Siamese general known as Taksin was nearby. Taksin gathered many followers and retook the city during that year. However, the destruction of the original Ayutthaya was catastrophic, so much so that Taksin decided to move the capital further downstream, to Thonburi. Taksin was aided with the help of two brother generals called Chao Phya Chakri and Chao Phya Surasih, and pursued fierce ships, defended a Burmese attack, and reconquered the north. Taksin's success drove him mad and made him extremely cruel. His generals threw Taksin from the throne and executed him in 1782. Chao Phya Chakri, known as Rama I, became the new king. He started the Chakri dynasty, which still exists today. Rama I moved the capital again, this time to the area where Bangkok is today. He built a city based in Ayutthaya and revived Thai literature and art. To recover Thai literature, Rama I appealed primarily to the memories of ancient Thais who had escaped the destruction of Ayutthaya. During that time, Europe was occupied by the Napoleonic Wars. In 1818, starting from a Portuguese treaty, the new Kingdom of Ayutthaya or Siam re-established trade with the West. Siam generally aimed to obtain privileges and favorable trading conditions. Treaties were made with Great Britain in 1826 and made with the United States in 1831. Meanwhile, France and Great Britain began to conquer Siam's neighbors. At this point, Siam was blessed with the reigns of two incredible rulers who were excellent in Western ways. They preserved the country's independence by creating vital reforms that modernized and strengthened the nation. The first ruler was King Mongkut, or Rama IV. Rama IV was a former monk who had traveled extensively and had hired foreign teachers and built roads. Rama's successor, Chulalongkorn, ruled until 1910. Chulalongkorn shed submissive behavior under his presence, improved national and local administration, abolished slavery, and oversaw the development of trams, railways, and automobiles while hiring foreign advisors to serve the government. The next ruler of Thailand, Rama VI, entered Siam on the side of the Allies during the First World War. His actions led to favorable treaty improvements with France and the United States. Rama VI had also introduced compulsory education and surnames, which was a first in Asia. Siam was now catching up with the modern, developed world. However, a restless new social class arose and allowed the monarchy to progress further. Under Rama VII, Siam's crisis with politics reached its peak. In the 1930s, the Great Depression hit rice exports hard, creating financial problems. Rama VII tried to solve the problem with a new payroll tax, but this angered the people even more. In 1932, a group of European-trained intellectuals and army officers overthrew the government and announced a constitutional monarchy, in which they limited the king's powers. In addition to announcing the official beginning of the constitutional monarchy, the new rulers immediately expanded the necessary elementary education, improved it.