A wooden burial jar with bronze drum discovered in Phu Chanh commune in the southern province of Binh Duong has been recognised as a national treasure by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.
The object was uncovered in late 1998 by Nguyen Van Cuong residing in Vinh Tan commune on a paddy field in Phu Chanh commune, Tan Uyen town, at a depth of around 1.8-2.5m.
The wooden burial jar is about 61cm high with its mouth at a diameter of 46-50cm.
The bronze drum is close to 40cm high with a drumhead diameter of 47.5cm and base diameter of 44cm.
The concentric drumhead has a 10-point star and it is simply decorated with inverted “v” shaped patterns.
Đỗ Thị Tiến, Deputy Director of the Binh Duong Museum, said the artifact is dated to the second and the first century BC (nearly 2,000 years ago).
This is a new type of tomb, the first to be discovered in the archaeological history of Vietnam and the world, she added.
The use of a wooden jar with a bronze drum as a coffin is a new piece of information while studying the lifestyles of ancient resident communities in the southeastern region, Tiến said.
Apart from the wooden burial jar, Binh Duong is preserving another national treasure namely Doc Chua animal statue which was made around 3,000 years ago in the shape of a four-legged animal with a long head, and found in Doc Chua archaeological site.
So far, a total of 164 artifacts have been recognised as national treasures.
Source: vietnamplus.vn
