Artefacts unearthed in central city of Da Nang

More than 4,500 items, including ceramics, stone axes, coins, molluscshells dating back to the 3,000-year-old Sa Huynh Culture, were foundduring a two-month excavation in the garden of the Khue Bac CommunalHouse in Da Nang.

The city’s Heritage Management Centre incollaboration with the National Archaeology Institute announced this at apress conference on July 1.

The excavation also unearthed the ruins of Cham towers – Xuan Duong and Go Gian in Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang districts.

ArchaeologistPham Van Trieu, who led the excavation, said items on the 100sq.m areain Khue Bac Communal House, which lies at the foot of the Ngu Hanh Son(Marble) Mountains 15km from the city, feature layers of culturecovering the Sa Huynh, Champa and Dai Viet (Great Vietnam) eras, andtrade with China’s Ming and Song dynasties.

“The location is situated near an ancient channel running around mountains and connecting it with the Co Co River,” Trieu said.

“It was a residential area for people during the Sa Huynh Culture as shown by the stone axes, knives and grindstone,” he said.

Trieu said stone pestles, which were used to crush seeds and pound food, were also found in the area.

“Ceramicfragments feature 11 patterns from the Sa Huynh Culture. Potters usedto move around a table to mould ceramic items. They did not use thepotter’s wheel as people do now,” he said.

He added thatVietnamese terra-cotta pieces from 14th century, and Chinese ceramicfragments from the eighth or ninth century and coins (1024-64) werefound in the area.

An archeological team from Vietnam ArchaeologyInstitute also dug up two sites at the Xuan Duong Cham tower in LienChieu district and found 166 items including bricks and a possible holyhole that were a feature of most Cham towers.

The team said itwould have been a large tower from the 11th century, facing the Hanestuary. It would act as a religious centre and a light house for boatstravelling up river from the sea.

The area is now earmarked for a resort development.

Ceramicpieces of the Sa Huynh, Champa and Vietnamese dated back from first andsecond centuries were also unearthed at the Go Gian tower in Hoa Vangdistrict.

Local residents also found a sandstone “yoni” and head of Shiva when they restored a temple in the area early this year.

Archaeologistssaid objects from the excavation at Go Gian proved that the Cham livedin the area in between the late ninth and early 10th century.

The team also discovered an ancient lagoon system that once existed in front of the tower, and connected to the Tuy Loan River.

They said it was a shelter for people from the Sa Huynh Culture before the Cham moved into the area.

NguyenGiang Hai, Director of the National Archeology Institute, said it hadsigned a five-year cooperation deal with the city’s Heritage ManagementCentre to search for more valuable ancient vestiges in Da Nang and thecentral region.

The Cham towers were built to honour Champa kings, who ruled the region between the fourth and 13th centuries.

VNA

Artefacts unearthed in central city of Da Nang

#vietnamtravelnews #vntravelnews #vietnamnews #traveltovietnam #vietnamtravel #vietnamtour
Vietnam Travel News - Explore what"s happening around Vietnam.
www.vntravelnews.com
www.facebook.com/vntravelnews
www.twitter.com/vnntravelnews
www.pinterest.com/vntravelnews/
https://plus.google.com/+Vntravelnewscentre/