Archaeologists work at the site. Photos courtesy of the organisers (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A unique exhibition in downtown Hanoi is featuring BaiCoi in the central province of Ha Tinh, a special archaeological sitebearing the characteristics of the Dong Son (800-200BC) and Sa Huynh(1,000-200BC) civilisations.
The site includes Bai Coi and several places surrounding it like Bai Loiand Bai Phoi Phoi in Xuan Vien commune, Nghi Xuan district of Ha Tinh province.
The area is located at the foot of Hong Linh Mountain, by the La River, thenatural border of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces.
After many excavations conducted by Vietnamese and Republic of Koreanarchaeologists, the site has been proven to have features of both Dong Son andSa Huynh civilisations.
The site was recognised as a National Level Relic Site in 2014 by the Ministryof Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The exhibition displays more than 15 objects and documents in various materialslike stone, ceramic, metal and glass.
A tomb has been made at the exhibition to help the audience imagine the site inearly history.
According to Nguyen Van Doan, director of the National Museum of VietnameseHistory, the Dong Son civilisation was located from Ha Tinh-Quang Binh to thenorth while the Sa Huynh civilisation stretched from Quang Ngai southward.
Discoveries at Bai Coi proved Ha Tinh is the meeting place of the twocivilisations, he said.
“Findings at the site changed previous assumptions on the twocivilisations,” he added. “Bai Coi has an important meaning in doingresearch on Vietnam’s early history.”
In 1974, scientists from the Vietnam Archaeology Institute unearthed many stoneand bronze objects here. They assumed the site hosted many objects in a largearea, which might have been a tomb area of Dong culture.
The museum and Ha Tinh’s culture department conducted excavations at the site in2008 and 2009.
The first time, scientists gathered a large number of objects together with 16tombs, which had features of Sa Huynh civilisation but influenced by Dong Soncivilisation of around 1st-2nd century AD.
At the end of 2009, another excavation was conducted at the site on furtherareas at Bai Phoi Phoi, Bai Loi, Trang Van, and Phuc Da Temple, which unearthed13 ancient tombs and buried objects.
The findings showed the tomb site was spread in a large area, which existedfrom some 300AD to the 1st century AD.
In 2012, the site was excavated once more by the museum and the National Museumof Korean History, which unveiled 15 more tombs and many buried objects.
All the objects were then transferred to the Republic of Korea for research andrestoration, including metal objects like earrings, bracelets, axes,knives and hoes.
South Korean archaeologists discovered various kinds of fibres stuck on thesurface of the metal objects, which led them to do further research on theweaving of early people, said Nguyen Manh Thang, head of Research andCollecting Department of the museum.
“Modern facilities and careful research process helped us define materials andforms of objects found, which is a significant feature in the co-operationbetween the two museums,” he said.
Bai Coi is a complex of tombs scattered in a large area with two forms oftombs, namely bodies buried in soil and bodies buried in ceramic jars.
Thang said ceramic jars in Bai Coi are of smaller size than those in Sa Huynh,Quang Ngai.
Soil tombs here have a later date compared jar ones. Scientist found here manysoil tombs cut across jar tombs, which had been buried before.
The exhibition will run at the National Museum of Vietnamese History, No 1 PhamNgu Lao street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi till the end of April next year./.
VNA
