An emergency excavation at Ru But in Kim Lien commune, Nghe An province, in August uncovered two brick tombs.
According to archaeologists' preliminary assessment, the structures are rare examples of brick tombs that had remained largely undisturbed before their discovery. They have initially been dated to between the fourth and sixth centuries, during China's Six Dynasties period.
The burial objects found inside the ancient tombs are diverse, encompassing ceramics, stoneware, glass and metal. Most were discovered inside the burial chambers, with many objects in the second tomb remaining in their original positions.
In the first tomb, the burial objects consist mainly of ceramics and metal artifacts.
The glazed ceramics comprise four forms: basins, lids, cups and bowls. Archaeologists also discovered a piece of earthenware thought to have possibly served as a lamp stand.
Metal finds include Wu Zhu coins as well as a range of weapons and tools, including pointed objects, blades, swords and knives.
After spending centuries underground, most of the metal artifacts have oxidized and are no longer intact.
When the burial chamber was exposed, the swords and blades were found near the head of the tomb, arranged diagonally across one another to form a pointed shape facing toward the head of the burial.
The tomb also contained an object consisting of a wooden chain or linked wooden component covered with iron, which researchers believe may have been a type of knife.
Archaeologists made another notable discovery in the soil layer above the vaulted roof of the first tomb: two stoneware containers dating to Vietnam's Ly Dynasty.
The vessels are cylindrical with pointed rims and were made using a coiling technique.
Unlike the first tomb, the second had not been disturbed before excavation.
Its burial objects therefore remained intact in their original positions, giving researchers valuable evidence of how grave goods were arranged inside an ancient brick tomb.
The artifacts are divided into four main material groups: ceramics, stoneware, glass and metal.
Ceramic objects were concentrated mainly around the head of the tomb and on either side of its entrance.
The glazed ceramics include vessels and lids, while the earthenware objects include pots, jars, bottles, spindle whorls and cups.
Metal artifacts were also discovered at different locations throughout the burial chamber.
A bronze ladle was found on the brick floor near the tomb entrance.
Near the head of the tomb, archaeologists recorded a heavily deteriorated bronze object whose original form could no longer be identified. Iron objects, including a bracelet and knife, were also found.
The group of yellow-colored metal artifacts is particularly diverse, comprising small beads, polygonal beads and pieces shaped like leaves or flower petals.
According to experts, the gold beads found in the second tomb share similarities in both form and manufacturing technique with gold beads discovered at the Hepu tomb complex in China, Wangheungsa Temple in South Korea, Khao Sam Kaeo in Thailand and the Oc Eo archaeological culture in Vietnam.
Tran Tuyen
Vietnamnet.vn
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