13 September 2007 (Thanh Nien News) – Besides mentioning the three cannons posted yesterday, other finds mentioned here include a bas-relief of a naga, a snake-deity in Hindu mythology, and a bronze Dong Son drum.
More relics found in central Vietnam
Several historical artifacts – including guns, bas-reliefs and a bronze drum – have been unearthed in three provinces on Vietnam’s central coast.
Local residents in Thua Thien-Hue province have recently discovered three guns at the site of the ancient Hoa Chau citadel in Quang Thanh commune, Quang Dien district.
The 4-kg bronze guns are suspected to have been made under the Tran (1225-1400), Ho (1400-1407) or Le (1428-1776) dynasties, according to experts.
A recent excavation around the Duong Long Cham tower complex in Binh Dinh province has unearthed brick bas-reliefs depicting the holy snake Nagar and sea monsters.
The complex, which consists of three brick towers in Tay Son district, 50 km from the provincial capital of Quy Nhon, was built at the end of the 12th century –Cham cultural art’s golden age.
Binh Dinh, the capital of the Viiaya dynasty, also owns relics pertaining to an ancient citadel from the 10th-15th centuries.
The Quang Binh province museum center said Wednesday it had received what is estimated to be a 2,000-2,500 year-old bronze drum fully intact.
It is decorated with a 10-pointed star followed by a ring featuring images of human beings and stylish Lac, a type of holy bird according to ancient Viet beliefs.
The next rings feature Lac birds flying counter-clockwise.
The drum is suspected to have come from the Dong Son era, about 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, according to experts.
Related Books:
– The Art of Champa by J. Hubert
– Hindu-Buddhist Art Of Vietnam: Treasures From Champa by E. Guillon
– Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia (Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology) by J. Fontein and M. J. Klokke (Eds)
– Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Volume Two: Expansion and Crisis by A. Reid
– Dong Son Drums in Viet Nam
– Bronze Dong Son Drums by Ha Thuc Can
