A farmer found an ancient human skeleton while ploughing a cassava field in Thailand.

Arthit Khotyothi was tilling the earth when his hoe struck a hard object buried in the farmland in Khon Kaen province on January 4. He continued digging and discovered human remains and some shards of pottery.

Tippawan Wongassapaiboon, an archaeologist from the Thai Fine Arts Department, arrived with experts to inspect the scene on January 7.

She said: 'The skeleton was 4.6ft (140 centimetres) long. It was stretched straight with its head turned to the west.

'It might have been a burial ground based on the position. Most of the skeleton except for the skull and teeth was eroded from water damage. The remains could date up to 2,500 years ago. We also collected scattered pieces of pottery for further inspection.'

She added that the site was on a hill near a stream, making it a suitable location for prehistoric human settlements. It was also near the Non Nok Tha archaeological site which dates back from 1420 to 50 BCE.

Authorities have cordoned off the area and were discussing launching further excavations.

Villager Arthit who discovered the remains said: 'I was plowing to prepare the land for cassava farming season when I dug up two objects that looked like human teeth.

'I continued digging until I discovered the skull. I was shocked there was a skeleton under the land so I called the authorities to come and investigate.'