Treasures from river beds
10/01/2009
VietNamNet Bridge - Rare artifacts pulled from rivers in southern Vietnam give a glimpse into days long past, discovers Hong Nhung
Artifacts unearthed from riverbeds in southern Vietnam, now on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Vietnamese History, reveal intimate details of the lives of residents living there thousands of years ago.
The showcase presents over 400 objects made from a variety of materials including antique ceramic wares, terracotta wares, embossments, jars, vessels, axes, rings, earrings and other items picked from the beds of major southern rivers such as the Sai Gon, Dong Nai, Vam Co, Tien and Hau.
Rivers, with their life-sustaining waters, are where many civilisations arise from and which make them an ideal collecting ground for tools, trash and precious items. There are many reasons for ancient items to be dropped or sunk into rivers: broken items are thrown into them or precious things accidentally fall in. Natural disasters or accidents have also made many ancient items fell into the deep water. The whole region is also covered by a complicated network of rivers and canals, and the lives of its inhabitants are intricately connected to it. Hence, the rivers become treasure troves with diverse antique items.
Items on display reveal the development of technology and production from ancient until modern times, as well as mark the growth of trading among the region as proven by artifacts found which originated from Cambodia, China, France, Great Britain, Thailand, Spain and Mexico.
The most important items on display are probably stone antiquities from the pre-historic era found along the Dong Nai river, which includes a 2,500 year-old axe. Stoneware found only in this river proves that the Dong Nai area was home to primitive peoples thousands years ago. Tools and weapons found such as stone axes, knives, spear heads, etc. show that the first inhabitants not only cleared land and produced food, but also hunted and protected themselves.
Another highlight at the exhibit are the Oc Eo terracotta jars believed to belong to Phu Nam, a nation that probably existed in the southwest part of current-day Vietnam from the first to the seventh century. According to collector Nguyen Thanh Hai, Oc Eo terracotta jars made of soil baked in high heat are very simply shaped and decorated, yet they are very practical. There are other Oc Eo items that Hai has collected, which display carvings of Hanuman monkeys that look very similar to decorative knives used in traditional Malaysian weddings.
Other antiquities of note are Viet Nam’s largest 9th century Yoni idol and a 2,000 year-old bronze drum. “Artifacts showcased in the exhibition are lively evidence of the founding and development of the South. Although artifacts from the Oc Eo civilisation and Khmer civilisation do not significantly stand out, they are the witness of civilisations that once seeded and bloomed in the area,” said Hai.
Pieces taken out of the Saigon River from the French ship L’Esperance, which was sunk by national hero Nguyen Trung Truc in 1861, are on display along with a 14 ton cannon cast by the French. These objects show the early involvement of French forces in southern Vietnam, and the struggle of Vietnamese again the heavily-armed French army.
The objects have been pulled together from other museum’s collections in several provinces, as well as from several private collections including Tran Anh Dung, Nguyen Van Hai, Tong Minh Hiep, Nguyen Huu Triet, Huynh Phuoc Hue. The exhibition is showed in the Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1 until April next year.
Artifacts unearthed from riverbeds in southern Vietnam, now on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Vietnamese History, reveal intimate details of the lives of residents living there thousands of years ago.
The showcase presents over 400 objects made from a variety of materials including antique ceramic wares, terracotta wares, embossments, jars, vessels, axes, rings, earrings and other items picked from the beds of major southern rivers such as the Sai Gon, Dong Nai, Vam Co, Tien and Hau.
Rivers, with their life-sustaining waters, are where many civilisations arise from and which make them an ideal collecting ground for tools, trash and precious items. There are many reasons for ancient items to be dropped or sunk into rivers: broken items are thrown into them or precious things accidentally fall in. Natural disasters or accidents have also made many ancient items fell into the deep water. The whole region is also covered by a complicated network of rivers and canals, and the lives of its inhabitants are intricately connected to it. Hence, the rivers become treasure troves with diverse antique items.
Items on display reveal the development of technology and production from ancient until modern times, as well as mark the growth of trading among the region as proven by artifacts found which originated from Cambodia, China, France, Great Britain, Thailand, Spain and Mexico.
The most important items on display are probably stone antiquities from the pre-historic era found along the Dong Nai river, which includes a 2,500 year-old axe. Stoneware found only in this river proves that the Dong Nai area was home to primitive peoples thousands years ago. Tools and weapons found such as stone axes, knives, spear heads, etc. show that the first inhabitants not only cleared land and produced food, but also hunted and protected themselves.
Another highlight at the exhibit are the Oc Eo terracotta jars believed to belong to Phu Nam, a nation that probably existed in the southwest part of current-day Vietnam from the first to the seventh century. According to collector Nguyen Thanh Hai, Oc Eo terracotta jars made of soil baked in high heat are very simply shaped and decorated, yet they are very practical. There are other Oc Eo items that Hai has collected, which display carvings of Hanuman monkeys that look very similar to decorative knives used in traditional Malaysian weddings.
Other antiquities of note are Viet Nam’s largest 9th century Yoni idol and a 2,000 year-old bronze drum. “Artifacts showcased in the exhibition are lively evidence of the founding and development of the South. Although artifacts from the Oc Eo civilisation and Khmer civilisation do not significantly stand out, they are the witness of civilisations that once seeded and bloomed in the area,” said Hai.
Pieces taken out of the Saigon River from the French ship L’Esperance, which was sunk by national hero Nguyen Trung Truc in 1861, are on display along with a 14 ton cannon cast by the French. These objects show the early involvement of French forces in southern Vietnam, and the struggle of Vietnamese again the heavily-armed French army.
The objects have been pulled together from other museum’s collections in several provinces, as well as from several private collections including Tran Anh Dung, Nguyen Van Hai, Tong Minh Hiep, Nguyen Huu Triet, Huynh Phuoc Hue. The exhibition is showed in the Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1 until April next year.
