via Archaeological Research in Asia, December 2023: Paper by Shaw et al. reports on radiocarbon dates at the Đầu Rằm site in northern Vietnam to the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE, demonstrating its contemporaneity with the better-known nephrite manufacturing site of Tràng Kênh. This discovery at Đầu Rằm, a site specializing in nephrite jewellery production, indicates standardized techniques in ring production existed during this era. The findings suggest that Đầu Rằm and Tràng Kênh were part of a broader, complex trade and exchange network in northern Vietnam around 4000 years ago.
Archaeological excavations at the site of Đầu Rằm in northern Việt Nam provided new insights into the chronology of Tràng Kênh settlement sites that emerged in the Red River delta during first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. The investigations produced evidence for the production of nephrite/jade rings. This study confirms that Đầu Rằm was a settlement associated with the Tràng Kênh culture that specialised in the manufacture of nephrite jewellery. These settlements were likely integrated into a complex trade and exchange network that had emerged within northern Việt Nam by 4000 years ago.
Source: Đầu Rằm: A nephrite ring manufacturing settlement in the northern Red River Delta – ScienceDirect
