Results of the first ancient tomb excavation in Ben Tre province

On July 18, Ben Tre Provincial Museum in collaboration with the History Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) organized a report on the excavation results of the tomb located in Quarter 2, Cho Lach town, Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province.

The grave compound in quarter 2, Cho Lach town, Cho Lach district, Ben Tre was excavated from April 26 to May 7, the first tomb relic was excavated scientifically on land. Ben tre.

The floating architecture of the whole pants is clearly shown to consist of 2 graves: a large canopy grave and a single small tomb lying perpendicular to the left body of the large grave. The large tomb is designed for duets with the design of traditional house architecture, 'second' consisting of 3 interconnecting spaces: beer house, grave house, and stratigraphic column. The small tomb is designed like a shrine. The grave has a gate towards the West, the previous part has a tombstone turning into a large tomb.

Ancient tomb over 200 years old in Cho Lach, Ben Tre.(Photo: Hung Thinh / VNA)

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Duc Manh, Head of Archeology Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, chaired the excavation, said the tomb relics have been unearthed and discovered in the area. Cho Lach district contains material and architectural relics bearing the common mark of the compound of Vietnamese nobility in the Middle and Near (from the Bia structure attached to the traditional Vietnamese-style tomb, pair of gate-shaped pillars lotus buds or 'sacred torches' , fake door decorations, pillars, pipe tiles, drainage ditches .).

Therefore, it can be assumed that the tomb of Cho Lach compound is the noble Nguyen aristocrat at that time. The date of creation of the relics of the burial and monumental compound of Cho Lach around the end of the eighteenth century - the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Duc Manh also affirmed that this is the first time in the South and in Vietnam, we note that the type of tombs with grave compound , only grave and digging up to 275cm .

This is also the first time to record a complete compound of grave houses for burying children, burying graves next to adults together with the design and decoration like grave burial.

In the whole of Vietnam, the case of favored young deaths lies next to parents only seen in the Binh San National Historical and Cultural Complex (Ha Tien, Kien Giang).

In addition, the unique characteristics of Ben Tre for the first time are known in Vietnam as for the first time, the burial and burial tombs were buried in the grave and created the foundation of Bien Hoa laterite bricks and nail bricks. the way of attaching the porcelain mask on the top of the training ground, painting the martial arts style tomb of the temple temple and using the color of red and brown.
Also for the first time, the use of coconut fiber as an "insertion object" when shrouding and burying copper balls, water coconuts, ruins of ancient cork bark and stalks .

These are new findings, valuable scientific materials for a compound of heritage for display in Ben Tre Museum.