Detecting a piece of bronze drum mold in Luy Lau

In 2014, experts from East Asia University (Japan) together with officials of the National Museum of History cooperated to study the ancient city of Luy Lau (Thanh Khuong commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh). There were many surprises from the initial excavation results.

A center for treatment and trade

Luy Lau ancient citadel is located on the left bank of Dau Dau river (a branch of the Red River), surrounded by a large plain. In the first few hundred years of AD, this is a densely populated area, the place where the office is located and the trading port of Giao Chi. Scientists used Corona satellite images from 1964 to see traces of curves left by the Strawberry River and comparable to similar terrain in an ancient Egyptian civilization neighborhood. Nile River.

The bronze drum molds were found in Luy Lau.

Luy Lau ancient citadel is rectangular with two inner and outer rings. According to field measurements: the western outer wall is 290m long, the east wall is 268m long, the north wall is 603 long and the south wall is 512m long. The structure of the whole body shows that Luy Lau citadel was built in the north main direction, similar to the way to build the city and urban districts in Truong An, Lac Duong in Han Dynasty.

The study team found many layers of walls (many covering up) to the east of the inner city, vestiges of the architecture of the Sui period - the road to the south, many relics of Dong Han brick tomb to the east and the gate north of the inner city. But the most important and most surprising thing is that in the excavation pits, pieces of bronze drums have been found.

The pieces of the mold made many surprises

More than 50 pieces of bronze drum molds were found at a depth of 1.8 - 2m, fairly evenly distributed in the excavation pit, in a stable stratum. It should be emphasized that these molds were found very close (only 20m away) where Dr. Nishimura found the first piece of mold in Luy Lau in 1999.

Hypothetical diagram of a section of the inner city.

Along with the mold pieces are some other objects equally important in the manufacture of copper drums are copper pouring hopper and spindle positioning pin (accumulator) of the mold. Artifacts allow scientists to confirm the theory: The bronze drum is cast on the turntable step by step: Fabrication of the intestine -> Fabrication 2 carrying the body and drawing the pattern-> Making faces and drawing patterns -> Collapsing mold -> Make straps.

The date of the pieces is determined around the 4th century AD. This "extended" the age of Dong Son Culture - not that this culture did not end in the 2nd century AD but also lasted a few hundred years - while also proving the vitality of Dong Son culture in the context of the impact of Han culture.

With the necessary caution, scientists have not confirmed that Luy Lau is a place to cast drums and propose further and more extensive research to better define the appearance of this relic, through nearly two thousand years of obscure time. history, but this can be considered a new discovery of Vietnamese archeology, providing more materials on techniques and chronology of bronze drums. Luy Lau's deep research will also contribute to shedding light on the system, production, trade and cultural and social ways in an economic-political center for centuries; contribute to the study of ancient Southeast Asian history in general.

The joint archaeological research project between Japanese and Vietnamese scientists will last from 2014 to 2019.