Listen to the story of a thousand-year-old set of jewelry in a tomb

A jewelry set consisting of 4 earrings, 104 gold beads, and 2 agate artifacts in the shape of a water bird and a tiger from 2,000 years ago was found in the Lai Nghi burial site (Dien Nam commune, Dien Ban district, now Dien Nam Dong ward, Dien Ban town, Quang Nam) and is being strictly preserved. These unique artifacts have just been proposed to be recognized as National Treasures.

Artifacts tell stories of a thousand years

It took 3 years (from 2002 to 2004) for the archaeological team to complete the work at the site, but the "treasure" found at the Lai Nghi burial site made the whole team burst into joy. Dr. Lam Thi My Dung (University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi), who directly participated in the team, said that many valuable artifacts were found during the archaeological excavation of the Lai Nghi burial site, including a set of rare jewelry and agate that are currently being included in the dossier for recognition as National Treasures. These are original artifacts, discovered directly at the Lai Nghi burial site through archaeological excavations, with intact cultural layers and have been analyzed for age by many methods.

Experts and technical staff of the excavation team are working. Photo (Source: Quang Nam Museum).

Lai Nghi burial site is located in the Thu Bon River basin, 5km from Hoi An and adjacent to the area dense with Sa Huynh cultural relics in Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam. The relic is located in the middle of the village, in a 500m2 garden of a household. The total excavation area of ​​199.3m2 ⁱⁿ Lai Nghi has 10,423 specimens discovered.

'Archaeological heritage should not just be "locked" in storage or statically displayed in museums, but must be displayed and promoted so that local people can understand the depth of history and the position of Quang Nam in the development of history and culture. Moreover, these artifacts should be used as prototypes and models for exploitation in the development of cultural industry and cultural tourism. Heritage must be put into use, bringing benefits to people' , Dr. Lam Thi My Dung, shared.

The archaeological team found many of the richest burial objects ever found. Experts say that no other tomb has ever discovered artifacts buried with the deceased that show the status, social status, and wealth stratification of such a complex society.

The excavated artifacts were then stored in the warehouse of the Quang Nam Provincial Museum. Recently, the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee proposed to recognize as a National Treasure a set of gold and agate jewelry dating from the 3rd century BC to the mid-1st century BC.

Image of artifacts at the excavation pit.

The gold jewelry set includes 4 earrings and 104 gold beads. The earrings are round in cross-section, made of gold, with twisted threads all over the body, and have gaps in the body. The 104 gold beads are shaped like two truncated cones facing each other, with a ridge in the middle of the body, flat at both ends and holes running along the body. Although small in size, the shape of the animal is depicted in quite detail, meticulously carved, and vivid.

Based on the shape, composition and technique, experts believe that of the four gold artifacts above, three were officially imported , while the remaining earring was a sample of gold from local alluvial deposits and made by local people. This also proves that there was a transfer of technical technology, not just the import of goods.

Two agate artifacts in the shape of animals, including beads in the shape of a water bird and a tiger, also attracted attention because they are the only specimens discovered in the Sa Huynh culture in Vietnam. The beads carved in the shape of a water bird are 15cm long, 0.75cm high, 0.6cm thick at the tip of the wing, 0.8cm long at the beak, and 0.15cm in diameter. The bird-shaped artifact has the characteristics of a water bird, possibly a ibis (scientific name Porthyrio Linnaeus). On the surface and body of some ancient bronze drums in Vietnam, the ancients depicted ibis next to deer, toads, grass, herons, and pelicans.

The tiger-shaped beads are also meticulously and vividly carved. The tiger-shaped beads are 1.4cm long, 1.1cm high, 0.7cm thick, and have a hole diameter of 0.1cm. Notably, the two animal-shaped agate artifacts above were discovered in an intact cultural layer at the Lai Nghi burial site.

Image of some jewelry found at Lai Nghi burial site.

According to archaeologists, gold necklaces or agate artifacts can also be found in private museums, but their special value lies in the fact that precious artifacts are found in specific, concrete archaeological contexts, thus containing chronological information and reflecting social relationships.

Dr. Lam Thi My Dung commented that agate artifacts in the shape of birds and tigers placed in archaeological contexts are not many in Southeast Asia, proving that the status of the people buried in the jars had a high position. Moreover, these are artifacts imported intact (possibly imported from India) . This shows that at that time there was an exchange relationship between residents living in this Lai Nghi area, affirming the position of Hoi An region has always been very important in connecting trade with the outside world.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province, since 1975, Vietnamese and international archaeologists have collaborated with the Quang Nam Museum to bring up from the ground archaeological treasures related to the Sa Huynh culture. After nearly 50 years, over 100 sites with Sa Huynh cultural relics have been discovered, distributed in the Thu Bon River basin, Vu Gia River, Truong Giang River and even coastal sand dunes and islands. Among a series of Sa Huynh burial sites that have also been discovered and excavated in the lower Thu Bon River near Hoi An such as Lai Nghi, Hau Xa 1, Hau Xa 2, An Bang, Trang Soi, etc. Through thousands of artifacts in the excavated cultural layers, archaeologists have 'told' the story of the living space of the ancient Sa Huynh people, thereby sketching out a general overview of the early metal age in Quang Nam.

Hope people can see the treasure

Mr. Tran Van Duc - Deputy Director in charge of Quang Nam Museum said that the artifacts are currently being specially preserved at the museum. These are original, unique artifacts because they were discovered directly at the Lai Nghi burial site through archaeological excavations, have intact cultural layers and have been analyzed for age by many methods.

"With the origin of the artifacts found during archaeological excavations, at the original location, right in the cultural layer, these artifacts contain important scientific information, of great value for research and awareness of cultural and historical issues related to Lai Nghi relics and Sa Huynh culture. This is a rare artifact in Sa Huynh culture in particular and ancient civilizations in the world in general. Therefore, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province has prepared a dossier, proposing to recognize it as a National Treasure" , Mr. Duc informed.

According to Mr. Duc, the jewelry set with rare materials, and with many historical and scientific values, everyone wants to see it. A good sign is that recently the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed that provincial museums study and propose directions for the Ministry to support in strengthening the work of preservation and display, and solutions to display artifacts to meet the cultural enjoyment needs of the people.